NATCHEZ, Miss. – Legislative efforts have died to redraw Mississippi’s judicial districts that would have altered the circuit and chancery courts for Adams County and its neighboring counties.
The judicial redistricting bill died Monday when House-Senate negotiators couldn’t agree on a final version to pass into law. Earlier versions of the bill passed the House and Senate in recent weeks, but lawmakers couldn’t resolve differences that precluded a compromise.
The House of Representatives originated the bill in March to sketch out new court districts statewide, and the Senate bulked it up with a new map that put Adams County with Pike County along with other less populous southwest Mississippi counties.
The Adams County Board of Supervisors came out in opposition to the legislation at the behest of District Attorney Tim Cotton. They want to keep the 6th Circuit Court District as is with just Adams, Franklin, Wilkinson and Amite counties presided over by its two Natchez-based judges elected by voters. The bill would have enlarged the district by adding Pike, Jefferson and Claiborne counties.
The 17th Chancery Court District currently has Adams County with Wilkinson, Jefferson and Claiborne counties with two Natchez-based judges elected by voters. The Senate-passed bill would have expanded it to also include Pike, Franklin and Amite counties.
The addition of Pike County (population 39,000) to the two judicial districts raised the possibilities of judges and the DA being elected from the McComb area. Natchez and Adams County have about 28,000 people.
The bill’s lead proponent – Senate Judiciary Chairman Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula – has said more counties need to be grouped together because of southwest Mississippi’s declining population and low count of court cases compared to other parts of Mississippi.
House Bill 722 called for redrawing court districts throughout Mississippi.
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