The 22nd state senatorial district stretches from the center of the Delta to the Jackson metro. Since 2004, Sen. Buck Clark (R-Hollanddale) has held this seat in the senate. Governor Phil Bryant and Delbert Hosemann, Secretary of State, are the defendants. Attorney General Jim Hood is also a defendant. The plaintiffs were represented by the Mississippi Center for Justice and Jackson-based lawyer Rob McDuff. They were also joined in the lawsuit by the Lawyer’s Committee and the Waters Kraus law office of Dallas. Three African American men living in District 22 filed a federal suit accusing the state in gerrymandering the district. The majority of the district is located in the Delta, a predominantly black area. This was done to dilute African-American voter strength. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled Tuesday that the district violates The Voting Rights Act. He ordered that the Legislature redraw the district prior to the November statewide elections. Reeves, citing Supreme Court precedent, wrote that District 22 doesn’t give plaintiffs an equal chance to vote and participate in political processes. While the Legislature will have the first chance to redraw the district in accordance with the Voting Rights Act mandates, any plan they develop is likely to have ripple effects across other districts. Reeves pointed out that three alternative plans had been suggested by the plaintiffs that would comply. The Districts 22 & 23 would be affected by two of these plans. The third plan would impact Districts 22, 23 and 13. These seats are currently held by Clark, Senator Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg), and Sen. Willie Simmons (D-Cleveland). Clarke is not running for reelection as Senate President in 2019, but is running to be the state treasurer. Hayes Dent, a former aide to the governor and lobbyist from Yazoo County is running for state treasurer. Kirk Fordice is the only Republican to have qualified for the District 22 seat. The current Senate District 22 covers six counties in central Mississippi and the Delta. It is irregularly shaped with a large center and two narrow arms. One extends north past Cleveland, and the other reaches into Madison County. The Barnett Reservoir ends at the end. Distance between them is approximately 102 miles. Mississippi has 52 senator districts. It measures approximately 320 miles from top to bottom. The District 22 district includes the plaintiffs, Vernon Ayers from Washington County, Joseph Thomas from Yazoo County and Melvin Lawson from Bolivar County. All three counties are located in the Delta and all are predominantly African American. In June, the lawsuit was filed claiming that state officials elongated Madison County, adding wealthy, largely white neighborhoods to the district to reduce the black population’s voting age to 50.8 percent. This, along with lower African American turnout and white bloc voting, have allegedly diluted the voting power of one of the most African American areas of the state. “Gerrymandering is one of the most serious threats to democracy in today’s world. Kristen Clarke, Executive Director and President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law, stated that Mississippi’s current districting plan effectively denies African American voters equal participation in the political process. Editor’s Note: An outdated map of District 22 was included in an earlier version of this article.