After the 2000 census, Mississippi was placed under a court order to use court-drawn congressional maps until the state drew a "constitutional congressional redistricting plan that is precleared in accordance with the procedures in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965."

The order was modified in 2011 after the 2010 census and remained in effect at the time of the 2020 census and reapportionment. However, in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered Section 5 of the VRA ineffective in its Shelby County v. Holder decision.

Mississippi argued that it should not be bound to use a court-drawn map or preclear its congressional map following the 2020 census, as the previous order mandated, since Section 5 of the VRA is currently not in effect.

Mississippi voters argued that the new congressional map Mississippi drew with 2020 census data is racially gerrymandered and the state should still be required to preclear its maps. However, a three-judge federal panel agreed with state officials and vacated the prior order.