The Justice Department is suing Jackson, Mississippi, over its failure to provide its 150,000 majority-Black residents with safe drinking water. This is Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Attorney General Merrick Garland: “Communities of color, Indigenous communities and low-income communities often bear the brunt of these harms. As we work to fulfill our responsibility to keep the American people safe, to protect civil rights, we will continue to prioritize cases like this one that will have the greatest impact on communities most burdened by environmental harm.”

On Tuesday, the city of Jackson and the Mississippi Health Department agreed to federal oversight of its crumbling water system. In August, city officials issued “boil water” advisories across Jackson that lasted nearly seven weeks.