HB 580 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Fourth and Seventh Circuit Judicial Districts; revise.

HB 580 revises judicial district boundaries and judge assignments for Mississippi's Fourth and Seventh Circuit Courts. For the Fourth Circuit, it adds Holmes and Humphreys counties starting January 2031, reorganizing the district into two subdistricts (one covering Washington/Sunflower, the other Leflore/Holmes/Humphreys) and changing judge elections from one per subdistrict to two per subdistrict. For the Seventh Circuit, it expands the district to include Claiborne and Jefferson counties effective January 2027, adding new subdistricts and adjusting precinct boundaries within Hinds County. The bill takes effect at specific dates (2027 for the Seventh Circuit, 2031 for the Fourth) and includes conditional deadlines for judicial candidates. These changes directly affect counties and judicial candidates in these districts.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Mar 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the lower Current version · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to remove conditional language that would have applied different filing deadlines based on whether the Governor approved the bill by January 23, 2026. Instead, the new version establishes a single, uniform deadline for judicial candidates to file their intent to run, calculated relative to the bill's effective date rather than a fixed calendar date.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on judicial election procedures for the Fourth and Seventh Circuit Court Districts, but the applicability of filing deadlines is now consistent regardless of gubernatorial approval timing.
TIMELINE

Removed conditional language that would have set a February 2, 2026 deadline if the bill was approved by January 23, 2026.

Added a new uniform deadline requiring candidates to file by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth day after the act's effective date, with provisions for weekends and holidays.

Changed the filing deadline from a fixed date (May 1, 2026) to a relative date tied to the effective date of the legislation.

Removed conditional language for Seventh Circuit Court District candidates that mirrored the Fourth District's conditional deadline structure.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House Jan 13, 2026

How they voted

520
Passed
Total votes 52
Feb 11, 2026
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican34
34 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
7
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Mar 2, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
executive
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Concurred in Amend From Senate
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed As Amended
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
upper
Jan 22, 2026
Committee
Referred To Judiciary, Division A
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred To Judiciary B
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Kevin Horan
Kevin Horan
RRepublican
MS
34