Mississippi

Sanction is upheld for unpaid lawyer’s refusal to represent indigent defendant

The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld a sanction for an appointed lawyer who refused to represent an indigent defendant because of fears he would not be paid. In a Jan. 5 decision (PDF), the court upheld the sanction imposed by Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill, report the Associated Press…

Jan 9, 2017 9:55 AM CST

Law firm can run ads targeting specific nursing home, Georgia Supreme Court rules

A Mississippi-based law firm seeking nursing home neglect and abuse cases didn’t violate Georgia trademark law by targeting PruittHealth Inc. in one of its ads, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled. In a decision on Monday, the court lifted an injunction that had barred the ads by the McHugh Fuller…

Nov 22, 2016 12:10 PM CST

Judge blocks federal rule that would ban arbitration in nursing home disputes

The implementation of a new rule prohibiting federal funds for nursing homes that enter binding arbitration agreements with residents has been blocked by a U.S. district court judge, who found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not have authority to enact the mandate without statutory authority.…

Nov 7, 2016 4:20 PM CST

Clowns in this county can be fined up to $150

Clowns aren’t wanted in Kemper County, Mississippi. County supervisors passed an ordinance banning anyone from appearing in public in a clown costume, clown mask or clown makeup, report the Associated Press and the Kemper County Messenger. The penalty for a violation is up to $150. Kemper County Sheriff James Moore…

Oct 21, 2016 11:01 AM CDT

Woman jailed 96 days without hearing or lawyer can’t sue after charge is tossed, federal judge rules

A woman who was indicted on a charge that turned out to be unsupported by the evidence can’t sue, even though she was jailed in Mississippi for 96 days without an arraignment or lawyer, a federal judge has ruled. The plaintiff, Jessica Jauch, had no right to an initial appearance…

Oct 21, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Assistant prosecutor secretly taped DA accused of aiding criminal defendant

An assistant prosecutor secretly taped conversations with a Mississippi district attorney accused of conspiring to aid a criminal defendant, according to transcripts filed in court on Tuesday. The lawyer for District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith of Hinds County says his client didn’t implicate himself in the conversations, but tape transcripts…

Oct 20, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Judge should be removed from office for ‘aggression and bigotry,’ state high court says

A Mississippi judge who failed to win re-election last year should nonetheless be sanctioned with removal from office for “aggression and bigotry” he displayed at a flea market, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled. The opinion upheld sanctions recommended by the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, Courthouse News Service and…

Oct 19, 2016 2:40 PM CDT

Federal judge is tossed from two cases for repeated failure to rule on pending motions

A federal appeals court has removed a Mississippi federal judge from two cases because of repeated delays in ruling on motions. In the first case, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals removed U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate from a civil suit filed against an electric utility by…

Oct 5, 2016 10:59 AM CDT

Missouri must reveal suppliers of lethal injection drug, 8th Circuit says

Two Mississippi death-row inmates are entitled to find out the suppliers of Missouri’s lethal injection drug pentobarbital in their suit claiming there is a better alternative to Mississippi’s three-drug cocktail. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday refused to disturb a federal judge’s order that Missouri…

Sep 6, 2016 11:42 AM CDT

Bite-mark expert stands by his testimony, though he can’t recall much about it

A bite-mark expert who claimed to have matched bite marks on an elderly woman’s body to the man accused of her murder didn’t see the need to prepare for a deposition taken after the case was reopened. During the April deposition, the expert, Michael West, was “belligerent, profane, and combative”…

Aug 29, 2016 9:00 AM CDT

Lawyer goes on trial for alleged false oil-spill claims; prosecutors drop several counts

Prosecutors dropped 22 of 95 counts against a Texas lawyer and six co-defendants as their trial began Monday for allegedly falsifying claims in the BP Gulf oil spill. Prosecutors dropped 22 identity document fraud charges against San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts and six associates, the Biloxi Sun Herald and the…

Jul 19, 2016 10:23 AM CDT

Mississippi DA is arrested for allegedly aiding criminal defendants

A Mississippi district attorney was arrested on misdemeanor charges on Wednesday for allegedly giving help to two criminal defendants despite his position as a prosecutor. Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith was charged after a joint investigation by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office and the FBI, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger,…

Jun 23, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

ACLU sues over Mississippi ‘religious freedom’ law, says it violates landmark SCOTUS marriage ruling

Saying that the “religious freedom” statute set to take effect in Mississippi later this year would impose special “separate but unequal” rules on same-sex married couples, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against a state official Monday. In the suit, Nykolas Alford and Stephen Thomas, a same-sex engaged couple,…

May 9, 2016 3:36 PM CDT

Judge jails public defender for contempt for arguing in court

A Mississippi judge with a history of contention with the local public defender’s office jailed an assistant PD without bond for contempt for much of the day Wednesday, although the lawyer’s boss said he was not disruptive or disrespectful but simply doing his job at a bond hearing. The assistant,…

Apr 15, 2016 2:15 PM CDT

Order blocking state AG’s investigation of Google is vacated by 5th Circuit

A federal appeals court has vacated an injunction that blocked Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood from investigating Google’s alleged failure to combat illegal and harmful activity on the Internet. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on Friday, report the Recorder (sub. req.), Courthouse News Service,…

Apr 12, 2016 7:41 AM CDT