Federal appeals court temporarily delays new state-run court in Mississippi's majority-Black capital
JACKSON, MRS. — A federal appeals court temporarily delayed Mississippi officials from setting up a state court in part of the predominantly Black capital of Jackson starting Monday.
The ruling came just before U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate rejected requests to block the new court in a ruling filed late Sunday.
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a temporary administrative stay, blocking the court's creation until at least Jan. 5. The decision followed a request from the NAACP.
“The NAACP stands firm in our belief that this legislation is inherently undemocratic,” NAACP spokesperson Alicia Mercedes said in a statement Monday. “We will continue to do everything in our power to fight for the rights of Jacksonians to control their own institutions. and live free from state-driven discrimination.”
Michelle Williams, chief of staff for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, responded to the decision by pointing to a statement she issued Sunday saying the state would continue to defend the law and “fulfill our duties to protect the people of To help protect Jackson from the suffocating, suffocating crime plaguing the city. ”
The court was created by Mississippi's majority-white, Republican-controlled legislature. Jackson is governed by Democrats. Lawyers for the civil rights group had filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Jackson residents, saying the new court undermines democracy because local voters or local elected officials won't choose their judge or prosecutors.
Under a law signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in the spring, the new court was expected to have jurisdiction in a part of Jackson that includes government buildings and some residential and commercial areas. Reeves and lawmakers who support the new court say it is part of an effort to control crime in Jackson — a city that has seen more than 100 murders in the past three years, out of a population of about 150,000.
Although the 5th Circuit on Monday blocked Mississippi officials from establishing the state court in Jackson, attorneys for the state had already said the court did not yet have a workable place to operate and still needed to hire staff.
The 5th Circuit's order stated that the district court had not developed an opinion on the merits of any issue.
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Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus contributed to this report. Michael Goldberg is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.