Case: West v. Natchez, Mississippi
5:15-cv-00046 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
Filed Date: May 22, 2015
Closed Date: March 24, 2016
Clearinghouse coding complete
Case Summary
This is a case about challenging the legality and constitutionality of the ward districting plan adopted by the City of Natchez, Mississippi, under the principle of "one person, one vote." On May 22, 2015, individual African American registered voters and citizens of Natchez, Mississippi, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Western Division. The case was assigned to the United States District Judge Keith Starrett.
Plaintiffs sued Natchez, Mississippi under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, and the Equal Protection Clause via § 1983. Represented by private counsel, plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief. Plaintiffs alleged that the 2003 ward plan violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of African-American citizens, violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments because it was enacted with the discriminatory purpose of diluting African-American voting strength, and violated the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause’s “one-man-one-vote” principle. Plaintiffs sought a declaration that the existing Natchez, Mississippi aldermanic redistricting plan based on 2000 census data had a 25.49 percent total deviation and therefore violated the one person one vote principle of the Fourteenth Amendment. Plaintiffs also sought an injunction against: any further use of the existing six aldermanic ward redistricting plan including its use in the May 3, 2016 municipal primary elections in Natchez, Mississippi; and any future use of the six aldermanic ward plan based on the 2000 census data. Finally, plaintiffs sought an order effecting an aldermanic redistricting plan under Upham v. Seamon, 456 U.S. 37 (1982) to conduct aldermanic primary elections in Natchez, Mississippi on May 3, 2016, or ordering new elections be held in six months from a constitutional and statutory plan. In addition to declaratory and injunctive relief, plaintiffs sought attorneys' fees.
On July 8, 2015, plaintiffs filed a preliminary injunction seeking the relief described above, while defendants filed their response in opposition on July 27, 2015.
On September 24, 2015, the court denied plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. In the order, the court held that plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that there was a substantial risk of irreparable injury if they were not granted a preliminary injunction, given that a bench trial was scheduled for early February 2016, and the parties did not object to this schedule or otherwise indicate that a February trial would not resolve this matter in a sufficient amount of time before the May elections.
Defendant filed a motion to dismiss on January 5, 2016, which the court granted on March 24, 2016. In the order, the court reasoned that the case was moot and no longer presented a live case or controversy, given that Natchez, Mississippi passed an ordinance adopting the new ward plan, submitted the new plan to the Attorney General and Governor for approval, and delivered it to the Secretary of State for recording. Plaintiffs' claims were dismissed without precedent. 2016 WL 1178771.
This case is closed.
Summary Authors
Tatsushi Nishizaki (2/14/2024)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4302466/parties/west-v-natchez-mississippi/
Starrett, Keith (Mississippi)
Carby, Edgar Hyde (Mississippi)
Coleman, Christopher H. (Mississippi)
Decker, Clifton M. (Mississippi)
Mask, J. Chadwick (Mississippi)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4302466/west-v-natchez-mississippi/
Last updated June 29, 2026, 5:15 a.m.
Docket for: West v. Natchez, Mississippi
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA) project
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 22, 2015
Closing Date: March 24, 2016
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
African American registered voters and citizens of Natchez, Mississippi
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
City
Natches, Mississippi
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Voting Rights Act, section 2, 52 U.S.C. § 10301 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 1973)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
Southern District of Mississippi 5:15-cv-00046
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Defendant
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Content of Injunction:
Issues
Affected Race(s):
Voting:
Case Summary of West v. Natchez, Mississippi, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/45101/ (last updated 2/14/2024).