Three federal judges say they won't order Mississippi to hold a new round of legislative elections in 2013.
The order came Monday in a lawsuit that the state chapter of the NAACP had filed earlier to challenge state House and Senate redistricting.
Current lawmakers were elected in November 2011 in districts that were drawn a decade ago. The 52 senators and 122 House members serve four-year terms.
Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann applauded the decision.
It has always been my position the Mississippi Legislature should be able to redistrict itself and not the Federal Courts," said Hosemann. "Today, the Federal Court upheld our position and our Constitution."
Hosemann said this means there will be no costly special election and the elected representatives will serve their full four-year terms.
In September, the U.S. Justice Department approved new legislative district lines that account for population changes revealed by the 2010 Census.
In October, the Mississippi chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People asked a panel of three federal judges to redraw the districts and order a new round of elections in 2013. That request was denied Monday.
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