Jackson airport ‘takeover’ case is over—but how did we even get here?
There’s never a dull moment in the capital city. Last week saw the conclusion of a trial that was 10 years in the making and will determine control of Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport, the state’s largest.
A decade ago, Republican Mississippi lawmakers, led by a cadre of officials from Rankin County, passed a bill that then-Gov Phil Bryant signed into law which would remove the airport’s governing board and replace it with a new one whose members were appointed by state officials.
Although the airport sits within the boundaries of Rankin County, the airport is part of the city of Jackson—similar to how foreign embassies are considered to occupy sovereign land even though the physical structures are inside the host nations’ borders.
Even for reporters who have covered the airport case, keeping up with all the legal maneuvers has been challenging, so it’s no surprise that citizens aren’t likely to be up to speed on how we got here.
The federal judge who presided over the bench trial is expected to make a ruling after 60 days. Until then, the following is a timeline on relevant events during the past decade (if you find this helpful, please forward this email).
Jan. 2016: Led by white Republicans, the legislature passed a law that would dissolve the governing board of the existing Jackson airport and replace it with a board whose members would be selected by state leaders, all of whom are white. Jackson government officials immediately balked at the proposal, which they saw as an attempt to steal a valuable resource from the Black-majority capital. Whoever controls the airport, controls tens of millions of dollars in state and federal funding not to mention lucrative vendor opportunities and economic development opportunities on the land near the airport.
Supporters of the measure claimed that racism played no part in the decision. Instead, they argued that because airport serves a three-county region, its board should have representation from two neighboring counties, which have white-majority populations.
Spring/Summer 2016: Jeffrey Stallworth, a Jackson resident and pastor, sued to block the law, arguing that it deprived Jackson of its equal protection rights and property. Subsequently, Jackson officials and members of the airport board joined the suit as plaintiffs. A federal judge later dismissed Stallworth as a plaintiff, but the Jackson airport board officials remained and the suit proceeded.
July 2017: U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves denied most of the state’s arguments to dismiss the case and permitted the Equal Protection and constitutional claims to proceed. Judge Reeves found the plaintiffs had plausibly alleged racial discrimination and unconstitutional state action.
2018 to 2020: The discovery phase of the case took place. The Jackson plaintiffs requested emails, communications and depositions from legislators behind the bill to determine whether racial discrimination was a motivator in passing the legislation.
2021: Activity this year involved a whole bunch of court procedure. Citing legislative privilege, Mississippi lawmakers asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to limit the discovery; the justices agreed and asked the lower court to take legislative privilege into account during discovery proceedings. The appeals delayed the case for years.
May 2023: The Fifth Circuit ruled that Jackson officials and airport commissioners had standing to continue pursuing their Equal Protection claims and sent the case back to the district court.
April 2024: The Fifth Circuit ruled that former members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority who originally sued no longer had standing because they had left office.
November 2024: In yet another ruling on the case, the Fifth Circuit ordered the dismissal of the airport authority members from the lawsuit, with one judge writing that “‘Groundhog Day’ has come to an end” following years of appeals-related discovery disputes. The ruling again left Jackson’s constitutional claims intact, allowing the city to continue challenging the state’s attempt to seize control of the airport.
May 2025: Judge Reeves denied most of the state’s efforts to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing Jackson’s Equal Protection claims to proceed toward trial. Reeves ruled that the city had plausibly alleged the airport takeover law was motivated by racial discrimination, clearing the way for the first trial on the constitutionality of the 2016 legislation.
June 2026: After nearly a decade of procedural delays and appeals, the airport takeover case finally went to trial before Judge Reeves. During the trial, Reeves rejected the state’s request to prohibit lawyers and witnesses from referring to the legislation as an “airport takeover.” Witnesses included current Jackson Mayor John Horhn, who was a state senator when the original legislation passed, as well as former Jackson city councilman and other officials.
July 2026: Closing arguments wrapped up after a week-and-a-half bench trial. Reeves said he would allow both sides approximately 60 days to submit post-trial findings before issuing a ruling. He also acknowledged that, after years of appeals, whatever decision he reaches will likely be reviewed again by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Image: Stock photo of a plane landing (Jerry Meaden via Flickr).