By Rupert Howell

Citycounty planner Mike Slaughter told supervisors Monday that population numbers between Panola County’s two court districts were out of balance and it was his opinion that the county was in violation of the “one-man, one vote” rule of the Voting Rights Act.

Making it clear that he was not an attorney, Slaughter explained that although a portion of the Voting Rights Act was currently in limbo following a recent Supreme Court Ruling, but that he thought the one-man one vote portion intact.

Slaughter said census figures indicated that District One, which covers approximately the northern half of Panola County, had a total of 11,305 citizens while the District Two has 22,402. District Two also contained 70 percent of the voting population according to Slaughter.

But board attorney Bill McKenzie questioned whether it was necessary to redistrict judicial districts according to population noting that judges were not representatives stating they are supposed to be fair to everybody.

Although McKenzie has been involved with every county redistricting since the first one in 1984, he said he was caught cold in Monday’s meeting not knowing Slaughter was going to be there. He said later that the county’s court districts had never been changed.

Supervisors instructed McKenzie to contact the law firm which handled the 2011 redistricting to see if the judicial redistricting was necessary.

Voting districts are to have 10 percent or less population deviation and  current districts have a 34 percent difference. Justice Court Judges and constables are elected from court districts.

Eight Mississippi counties have dual districts requiring multiple courthouses such as in Batesville and Sardis.

Butler, Snow and O’Mara law firm along with Slaughter’s firm, Slaughter and Associations, was hired by the county for redistricting in 2011 following the 10-year census results in 2010.

With an approaching election, the firms agreed with the county to redraw supervisor lines and wait until later to study court district lines Slaughter reminded supervisors.