Mississippi Senate paid Black lawyer ‘significantly less’ than white colleagues, DOJ suit alleges
The Mississippi State Capitol building, which houses the Mississippi Senate, in Jackson, Mississippi. A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit has accused the Mississippi Senate of paying a Black staff lawyer about half the salary of her white colleagues. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit has accused the Mississippi Senate of paying a Black staff lawyer about half the salary of her white colleagues.
The lawyer, Kristie Metcalfe, was paid “significantly less” than white lawyers throughout her eight years working in the Mississippi Senate’s Legislative Services Office, even though she had similar responsibilities, according to allegations cited in a Nov. 8 press release.
Metcalfe was paid $40,000 to $60,000 less than the lowest-paid white lawyers in the office, according to the Nov. 8 suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
Lawyers in the Legislative Services Office draft bills and resolutions and do nonpartisan work on matters for state Senate committees to which they are assigned.
Metcalfe’s starting salary was $55,000 when she was hired in December 2011. One month later, the white lawyers in the office got the largest raises of their careers in the office, the suit says. Their raises ranged from $8,201 to $18,450. Metcalfe did not receive a pay hike.
The state Senate hired a new white lawyer in December 2018 and paid him $101,500, which was $24,335 more than Metcalfe’s salary. Metcalfe and the new attorney had eight years of legal experience, but the white attorney did not have experience doing legislative work.
Metcalfe complained about the pay disparity, but nothing was done. She resigned in November 2019.
The suit alleges a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Publications covering the lawsuit include NBC News, USA Today, the Associated Press and the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who serves as the state Senate president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by USA Today.
Amanda Frusha White, who works for Hosemann and is the secretary of the Mississippi Senate, told the Associated Press that, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
