County redistricting: Bring in the lawyers

By Staff
Nov. 25, 2001
Lauderdale County supervisors have hired a Jackson attorney to help redraw the five supervisor districts for the 2003 county elections. The boundaries will change based on results of Census 2000 and having an outside lawyer come in may actually help expedite the process.
The lawyer is said to be a specialist in how to draw new lines that will be approved by the U.S. Justice Department. Or, as board attorney Rick Barry put it the other day: "When you're dealing with the Justice Department, you want to get it right the first time."
Ultimately, the board will have to approve the new boundaries and, hopefully, this process will be completed with plenty of time to inform the county's voters and potential candidates.
Our prediction is that, unlike the Mississippi Legislature  which met and failed to produce new congressional districts  the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors will succeed at the job here on the local level.