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The NAACP is suing Mississippi after Gov. Tate Reeves signed new legislation that will expand state law enforcement and change the judicial system in the state's majority-Black city.
According to the NAACP, state laws signed on Friday (April 21) "represent a state takeover of Jackson" and strip its majority-Black residents of their democratic right to elect leaders, per CNN.
One of the laws, SB 2343, will expand the presence of state-controlled Capitol Police from around state buildings to more parts of the city. HB 1020 is set to create a new court system in a state-created district that includes the Capitol building, downtown, Jackson State University, and surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
In the state-created district, a judge will be appointed by the Republican state chief justice, rather than elected by its residents. Prosecuting attorneys will be appointed by the Republican state attorney general.
The NAACP stated in its lawsuit that the laws violate the 14th Amendment by discriminating against Jackson's Black residents.
“In violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, these laws target Jackson’s majority-Black residents on the basis of race for a separate and unequal policing structure and criminal justice system to which no other residents of the State are subjected,” the lawsuit states.
NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement: “To be clear – this legislation is nothing new. The people of Jackson have been silenced and have faced years of discriminatory disinvestment and neglect from the state government, which led to the major water crisis they are still dealing with to this day.
“If elected officials in Mississippi want to help address the results of their negligence and improve the lives of Jackson residents, they should start with completing improvements to Jackson’s water system, not undermining the constitutional rights of their citizens," Johnson added.
In a statement, Reeves said the legislation will increase public safety amid a spike in crime.
“This legislation won’t solve the entire problem, but if we can stop one shooting, if we can respond to one more 911 call – then we’re one step closer to a better Jackson,” Reeves said.
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