Mississippi discriminates against Black residents with appointed judges, Justice Department says

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Justice Department says a new Mississippi law discriminates against residents of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson. The law requires the appointment of some judges in a state where most judges are elected. The department filed court papers Wednesday seeking to join a lawsuit that the NAACP filed against the state shortly after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the law in April. Kristen Clarke, the department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, says Mississippi lawmakers created “a crude scheme that singles out and discriminates against Black residents” in Jackson and Hinds County, where the city is located.