Background
The Republican National Committee, the Mississippi Republican Party, two individuals, and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi brought actions against Mississippi election officials, including Harrison County Clerk and Registrar Justin Wetzel, members of the Harrison County Election Commission, and Secretary of State Michael Watson. Vet Voice Foundation and the Mississippi Alliance for Retired Americans participated as intervenor defendants.
The consolidated appeal arose from two cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nos. 1:24-CV-25 and 1:24-CV-37. The matter returned to the Fifth Circuit on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Court’s Holding
In a brief, unpublished per curiam opinion, the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment.
The panel stated that affirmance was required “in light of” the Supreme Court’s decision in Watson v. RNC, 146 S. Ct. 2165 (2026). The Fifth Circuit offered no additional reasoning or independent analysis.
Key Takeaways
- The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court after the case returned from the Supreme Court.
- The disposition rested expressly on Watson v. RNC, 146 S. Ct. 2165 (2026).
- The per curiam opinion was designated as unpublished under Fifth Circuit Rule 47.5.
Why It Matters
The ruling leaves the district court’s judgment intact and applies the Supreme Court’s intervening decision to the consolidated Mississippi election litigation. Because the panel supplied no further analysis, the substantive governing rule must be drawn from Watson v. RNC rather than this unpublished remand opinion.