Friday's lawsuit alleges Kristie Metcalfe, the only Black attorney at the Mississippi State Senate, was paid about half the salary of her colleagues.

A Black attorney who formerly worked on the staff of the Republican-controlled Mississippi State Senate was the target of illegal racial discrimination, the Department of Justice alleged Friday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lawsuit Friday against the Mississippi state Senate for discriminating against a former Black staffer. The woman, a former staff attorney in the state’s Legislative Services Office,

The Mississippi Senate discriminated against a Black attorney by paying her about half of what her white colleagues were paid for the same job

The discrimination lawsuit said Kristie Metcalfe was paid "significantly less" than her white co-workers for 8 years.

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the Mississippi Senate for racial discrimination of a former Black attorney.