Mississippi officials say redistricting lawsuit too late

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi officials tell a federal judge that challengers waited too long to file a lawsuit claiming a legislative district provides too little opportunity for an African-American candidate to win.

The arguments came Wednesday in a case involving Mississippi Senate District 21, which has been represented since 2004 by Republican Sen. Buck Clarke of Hollandale, who is white.

Black plaintiffs are telling U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves that they aren't too late. They say if Reeves applies a three-year time limit, he should count it as beginning after the November 2015 election, the first time the district was used. The suit was filed in July 2018.