Current:Home > MyJudge allows new court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital, rejecting NAACP request to stop it -Capitatum
Judge allows new court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital, rejecting NAACP request to stop it
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-06 10:05:05
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that he will allow Mississippi officials to move forward with creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, over objections from the NAACP.
Attorneys for the civil rights organization had sued on behalf of several Jackson residents, saying the new court undermines democracy because local voters or local elected officials won’t choose its judge or prosecutors.
The new Capitol Complex Improvement District Court will have a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general — officials who are white and conservative.
In a ruling filed late Sunday, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate dismissed requests to block the new court, which was created by the majority-white and Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature. Jackson is governed by Democrats.
“None of the Plaintiffs has alleged that he or she is in actual or imminent danger of experiencing any concrete and particularized injury resulting from the establishment of the CCID Court or the challenged appointment of a judge or prosecutors for that court,” Wingate wrote.
Under a law signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves during the spring, the new court will come into existence Jan. 1 and will have jurisdiction in a part of Jackson that includes state government buildings and some residential and shopping areas.
Reeves and legislators who support the new court say it is part of an effort to control crime in Jackson — a city that has had more than 100 homicides for each of the past three years, in a population of about 150,000.
The Capitol Complex Improvement District Court will have the same power as municipal courts, which handle misdemeanor cases, traffic violations and initial appearances for some criminal charges. People convicted in most municipal courts face time in a local jail. Those convicted in the new court will be held in a state prison, near people convicted of more serious felony crimes.
Most municipal judges are appointed by city officials. Jackson has a Black mayor and majority-Black city council. The judge of the new court is not required to live in Jackson.
Legal arguments in the case touched on racial discrimination, public safety and democracy.
The state law creating the new court also expands the patrol territory for Capitol Police. The state-run police department previously patrolled near state government buildings in downtown Jackson, but the new law added other parts of the city, including more affluent residential and shopping areas.
In September, the Mississippi Supreme Court struck down the part of the same law that would have required the state chief justice to appoint four circuit judges to serve alongside the four elected circuit judges in Hinds County. The county includes Jackson and is also majority-Black and governed by Democrats.
Justices wrote that longstanding Mississippi law allows the chief justice to appoint some judges for specific reasons, such as to deal with a backlog of cases. But they wrote that “we see nothing special or unique” about the four appointed Hinds County circuit judges in the 2023 law, “certainly nothing expressly tethering them to a specific judicial need or exigency.”
veryGood! (8)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Mega Millions lottery jackpot up to 6th largest ever: What to know about $687 million drawing
- Platform Mini Boots Are Your Perfect Shoe for In-Between Weather: From UGG to $27 Finds
- Why Elon Musk and so many others are talking about birth control right now
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Pamela Anderson says this change since her Playboy days influenced makeup-free look
- Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey penalized for not properly gutting moose that he killed to protect his dogs
- Conservation groups sue to stop a transmission line from crossing a Mississippi River refuge
- $1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
- Britt Reid is enjoying early prison release: Remember what he did, not just his privilege
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Are you moving? Don't forget your change of address. Here's how to easily swap info.
- Canadian town mourns ‘devastating loss’ of family killed in Nashville plane crash
- Texas' largest-ever wildfire that killed at least 2 apparently ignited by power company facilities, company says
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Woman Details How Botox Left Her Paralyzed From Rare Complication
- 'Princess Bride' actor Cary Elwes was victim of theft, sheriffs say
- Pamela Anderson says this change since her Playboy days influenced makeup-free look
Recommendation
Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
WWE Alum and Congressional Candidate Daniel Rodimer Accused of Murder by Las Vegas Police
NFL mock draft: Broncos, Eagles aim to fill holes left by Russell Wilson, Jason Kelce
'Survivor' season 46: Who was voted off and why was there a Taylor Swift, Metallica battle
9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
How to Watch the 2024 Oscars and E!'s Live From E! Red Carpet
New Jersey officials admit error at end of Camden-Manasquan hoops semifinal; result stands
Senate passes bill to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government