CNBC: The Mississippi House has approved the creation of a new court system in which judges and prosecutors would be appointed by state officials — who all happen to be white — for the capital of Jackson, which has the second-highest percentage of Black residents among U.S. cities.
The bill proposing the new court, which needs approval from the state Senate and governor to become law, was overwhelmingly passed Tuesday by a supermajority of white Republican legislators after intense opposition by Black Democratic legislators, news outlets reported.
The change would be a break from the rest of the state, where judges and prosecutors are elected by voters….
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who — like 80% of city residents — is Black, reportedly said, “It reminds me of apartheid,” after watching the debate from the House gallery….
“This bill is designed to make our capital city of Jackson, Mississippi, a safer place,” said Lamar, who lives more than 170 miles away from Jackson. He, like every one of his GOP colleagues, is white.
Rep. Ed Blackmon, a Democratic lawmaker and civil rights leader who opposed the measure and is Black, said, “Only in Mississippi would we have a bill like this … where we say solving the problem requires removing the vote from Black people,” the outlet reported.
Blackmon noted that the new court would handle both criminal and civil cases.
“This bill is about helping to fight crime?” Blackmon said, according to the Clarion-Ledger newspaper. “What does civil litigation have to do with crime in the state of Mississippi?””