The Mississippi Supreme Court has denied a rehearing request from residents opposed to the city of Southaven’s annexation of 5.8 square miles.

The annexation, approved in 2007 by a DeSoto County judge, will bring Southaven’s population to about 42,000. Southaven first filed the annexation petition in 2004.

The annexed area is located between Southaven and Olive Branch.

Chancery judges may grant all or part of the annexation request, or reject it entirely. Although there are 12 specific factors to be weighed in annexation cases, the decision basically boils down to whether the expansion requests are reasonable.

In January, the state Supreme Court said it could find nothing unreasonable about Southaven’s annexation. And Thursday, justices denied residents’ request to rehear the case.