Mississippi Today

Separate criminal court in Jackson cleared to start, but legal battle continues

Published

5 months ago

January 5, 2024

A federal appeals court has allowed a separate court system to be created in Jackson, paving the way for state officials to appoint a judge and prosecutors to the new court.

The Capitol Complex Improvement District Court is now live, several days after it was initially meant to go into effect. Its start date had been delayed by a temporary administrative stay granted by a panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, but on Thursday the court vacated the stay.

In a lawsuit brought by the NAACP on behalf of several Jackson residents, the plaintiffs asked for an injunction to stop the court appointments and creation of the court, but U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate denied it. The same day, Dec. 31, the plaintiffs appealed to the 5th Circuit.

On Thursday, the 5th Circuit sided with Wingate and said the plaintiffs didn't have standing for an injunction because they couldn't prove imminent and actual risk of harm.

“The NAACP is profoundly disappointed by today's ruling,” Janette McCarthy Wallace, general counsel for the NAACP, said in a statement. “Despite any obstacles we may face, the fight continues. Our case will proceed, with more briefing and arguments to come. The NAACP remains committed to upholding democracy and putting power back in the hands of Jackson residents.”

House Bill 1020 was signed into law in April 2023. Many lawmakers said they supported it as a way to address violent crime and bolster public safety in Jackson, while those against the legislation saw it as state control over the local criminal justice system.

Among the plaintiffs' arguments was that the CCID court would dilute the vote of Jackson residents and take power away from local government.

“Nothing has been taken away from Jackson's local governing authority,” the 5th Circuit wrote in its order, noting that the argument was not based in fact.

The ruling paves the way for white and Republican state officials to make appointments for the court in Jackson, which is predominately Black and Democratic.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Randolph will appoint one CCID court judge and Attorney General Lynn Fitch will appoint two prosecutors. As of Friday morning, those appointments have not been made.

Under the law, Randolph also was required to appoint four temporary judges to the Hinds County Circuit Court to work alongside appointed judges – an effort to help with the court's case backlog.

In a separate lawsuit in state court, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that these appointments were unconstitutional.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

On this day in 1925

Published

7 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Staff Editor

MAY 19, 1925

In this 1963 photo, civil rights leader Malcolm X speaks to reporters in Washington. Credit: Associated Press

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was 14, a teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he answered that he wanted to be a lawyer. The teacher chided him, urging him to be realistic. “Why don't you plan on carpentry?”

In prison, he became a follower of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. In his speeches, Malcolm X warned Black Americans against self-loathing: “Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to hate your own kind?”

Prior to a 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca, he split with Elijah Muhammad. As a result of that trip, Malcolm X began to accept followers of all races. In 1965, he was assassinated. Denzel Washington was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the civil rights leader in Spike Lee's 1992 award-winning film.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

On this day in 1896

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

Staff Editor

MAY 18, 1896

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-1 in Plessy v. Ferguson that racial segregation on railroads or similar public places was constitutional, forging the “separate but equal” doctrine that remained in place until 1954.

In his dissent that would foreshadow the ruling six decades later in Brown v. Board of Education, Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote that “separate but equal” rail cars were aimed at discriminating against Black Americans.

“In the view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens,” he wrote. “Our Constitution in color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law … takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Renada Stovall, chemist and entrepreneur

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2024

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – Vickie King – 2024-05-17 11:53:33

Renada Stovall sat on the back deck of her rural Arkansas home one evening, contemplating life when she had a life-altering epiphany…

“I gotta get out of these woods.”

She heard it as clear as lips to her ear and as deep as the trees surrounding her property. Stovall's job as a chemist had taken her all over the country. In addition to Arkansas, there were stints in Atlanta, Dallas and Reno. But she was missing home, her parents and friends. She also knew, she needed something else to do.

“I thought, what kind of business can I start for myself,” said Stovall, as she watered herbs growing in a garden behind her south Jackson home. Some of those herbs are used in her all-natural products. “I know when I lived in Reno, Nevada, where it's very hot and very dry, there really weren't products available that worked for me, my hair, and my skin suffered. I've got a chemistry degree from Spelman College. I took the plunge and decided to create products for myself.”

A variety of soaps created by Renada Stovall. Stovall is a chemist who creates all natural skin and hair care products using natural ingredients.

In 2018, Stovall's venture led to the creation of shea butter moisturizers and natural soaps. But she didn't stop there, and in December 2022, she moved home to Mississippi and got to work, expanding her product line to include body balms and butters, and shampoos infused with avocado and palm, mango butter, coconut and olive oils.

Nadabutter, which incorporates Renada's name, came to fruition.

Renada Stovall, owner of Nadabutter, selling her all-natural soaps and balms at the Clinton Main Street Market: Spring into Green, in April of this year.

Stovall sells her balms and moisturizers at what she calls, “pop-up markets,” across the state during the summer. She's available via social media and also creates products depending on what of her ingredients a customer chooses. “My turmeric and honey is really popular,” Stovall added.

“The all-natural ingredients I use are great for conditioning the skin and hair. All of my products make you feel soft and luscious. The shea butter I use comes from West Africa. It's my way of networking and supporting other women. And it's my wish that other women can be inspired to be self-sufficient in starting their own businesses.”