Mississippi Today

Federal judge greenlights Mississippi execution

Published

2 years ago

December 8, 2022

Federal judge greenlights Mississippi execution

by Mina Corpuz, Mississippi Today
December 8, 2022

The scheduled execution of death row inmate Thomas Edwin Loden Jr. will be allowed to proceed, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate denied a stay for Loden as part of a lawsuit challenging Missisisppi’s lethal injection protocol. Loden’s execution is set for Dec. 14 at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

“Loden contends that since he is a plaintiff in this underlying lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s lethal injection mode of execution, the same procedure Mississippi intends to use to put him to death, he should not be executed before a decision on the constitutionality is rendered,” Wingate wrote.

“Loden, however, cannot convincingly argue that his involvement in this 1983 lawsuit has somehow expanded his rights and provided him a shield against execution,” he wrote, adding that granting a stay would likely delay Loden’s execution for years.

Wingate ruled in a civil lawsuit brought by death row inmates Richard Jordan and Ricky Chase against Mississippi Department of Corrections officials that Loden and others have joined.

In his order, Wingate scheduled a hearing for Jan. 19, 2023, about whether to issue an indefinite stay of execution for the plaintiffs and other intervenors in the case.

Stacy Ferraro, one of Loden’s attorneys, argued against the state’s October request to set Loden’s execution by citing the pending lawsuit and saying Loden had not yet exhausted his appeals, according to court documents.

Loden, 58, has been a death row inmate for over 20 years. In 2000, the military recruiter kidnapped, raped and killed 16-year-old Leesa Marie Gray in Dorsey in Itawamba County.

The lawsuit before Wingate argues that the state’s three-drug cocktail for lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment because the compounded or mixed drugs the state uses could be “counterfeit, expired, contaminated and/or sub-potent” and result in people being conscious during the execution, according to court documents.

Jim Craig of the MacArthur Center for Justice, who represents the plaintiffs Jordan and Chase, filed a temporary restraining order in October asking Wingate to withdraw the motion to set an execution date for Loden and not to execute him until the lawsuit is resolved.

The Attorney General’s Office has argued that a case challenging the execution process doesn’t prevent Loden’s execution from proceeding because it is not challenging his death sentence, just the method of execution, according to court documents.

In 2015, Wingate issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from executing anyone using the three-drug combination, saying in a written order that the inmates were likely to successfully argue that “Mississippi’s failure to use a drug which qualifies as an ‘ultra short-acting barbiturate or other similar drug’ as required” by state law violates both that law and the U.S. Constitution’s due process guarantees. But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled that decision less than a year later.

The court wrote that the federal court can’t force state officials to follow state law, and the plaintiffs weren’t able to show their due process rights were violated. This sent the case back to the district court.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections plans to put Loden to death by lethal injection.

Under a law that went into effect in July, prison officials can choose from four execution methods: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas and firing squad. Before Wingate’s ruling, department spokesman Leo Honeycutt confirmed lethal injection was the method Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain and two deputy commissioners selected.

In his order, Wingate mentioned the state could select another execution method, but that would “surely be attacked in a new lawsuit.”

That law updated a 2017 version that said if lethal injection was not possible due to a legal challenge or unavailability of drugs, an incarcerated person could be put to death by gas chamber. If that option wasn’t available, electrocution was the next available method followed by firing squad.

Lethal injection remains the state’s preferred form of execution, according to the legislation.

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

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/?p=198931

Up Next

Jackson meets the man tasked with fixing its water system

Don't Miss

Phase out income tax or cut taxpayers checks? GOP lawmakers, governor disagree

Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

21 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

Loading…

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.