Story
Food
More Picky Vegetarian
The one type of "sandwich" that lends itself well to almost any ingredient or lifestyle is a quesadilla.
Story
Food
La Finestra: A Little Italy in Downtown
Chef Tom Ramsey's first restaurant venture could have been a burger joint, but, thanks to a judicious son, he went in for an Italian restaurant in the Plaza Building at …
Story
City & County
The Battle for Downtown, Part 2: What Should Farish Become?
Nothing rivals the level of disappointment over what has happened on Farish Street, the historic area on downtown Jackson's periphery designated as the future site of an entertainment district.
Photo
Story
I Am Not Impressed With Dr. King
I was not one precious little bit impressed with the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. I was stunned at just how unmoved I was.
Story
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Hip-Hop'
The list of hip-hop artists who attended college is quite long, as is the list of prestigious American colleges and universities that now offer courses in hip-hop studies.
Story
Gov. Winter and the New Mississippi
Charles C. Bolton's "William F. Winter and the New Mississippi" covers the life of Mississippi's 57th governor, who began in politics as a driver for James O. Eastland during his …
Story
National
King Cake Season
We've officially gone past the 12th day of Christmas, bringing the holiday season to a close. That holiday season, anyway.
Story
City & County
Pulling the Trigger on a Gun Ordinance
Jackson City Council President Charles Tillman's effort to ban firearms in certain public areas is encountering new obstacles that could ultimately sink the measure.
Story
City & County
The Blueprint
The capital city wants legislative funding to pay for emergency services the city provides to state buildings and agencies, to move to elected school-board members and the ability to appoint …
Story
City & County
Jackson Gives Local-Option Sales Tax a Resounding 'Yes'
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba had plenty of reasons to be happy when he took to the podium at The Room Tuesday night—700,000 reasons, to be exact.
Story
Jacksonian
Lizzie Cooper
It was in 1990 that Lizzie Cooper, a Jackson native, opened up Double Trouble, a center for those afflicted with drug addiction and mental disorders in the Jackson area.
Story
Publisher's Note
I Was Wrong About Farish
Design your neighborhood for locals ... and you'll entice the tourists as well.
Story
Film
Jewish Cinema Mississippi: The Road to Sukkot
"(Sukkot) is a handbook for how to live, breathe and act as a truly free people," says the description on the Facebook page of the film "Road to Eden: Rock …
Story
Officials: Obama Likely to OK Phone Record Changes
President Barack Obama is expected to endorse changes to the way the government collects millions of Americans' phone records for possible future surveillance, but he'll leave many of the specific …
Story
House Ready to OK Government-Wide $1.1T Budget
Shunning the turmoil of recent budget clashes, Congress is ready to approve a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill for this year, a compromise financing everything from airports to war costs …
Entry
SCOTUS Sides with Mississippi AG Hood
By R.L. NaveMississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is touting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that he says affirms the rights of state attorneys general to file lawsuits in state court.
Here's the full release from Hood's office:
Jackson, MS – In a case brought by Attorney General Jim Hood, the U.S. Supreme Court today unanimously upheld the right of attorneys general across the country to enforce their state’s laws in state court. The Supreme Court ruled in Mississippi ex rel. Hood v. AU Optronics Corp. that a state attorney general asserting state law claims for damages incurred by its citizens can have that case resolved by its state court, and is not required to be removed to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA).
All nine Justices agreed to reverse the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that the State’s antitrust and consumer protection enforcement suit could not proceed in Mississippi state court. The Fifth Circuit had encroached on state courts’ rights to hear important public matters by significantly broadening the interpretation of what can constitute a federal “mass action.” Under CAFA, that requires the presence of 100 or more individual “plaintiffs.” The Fifth Circuit had ruled that, despite the State Attorney General being the only plaintiff in the case, the court would treat all Mississippi residents as “plaintiffs” so that CAFA’s 100 person requirement could be considered satisfied, depriving the state courts of the right to interpret their own laws.
Having recognized the important state sovereignty issues at stake, all U.S. Courts of Appeals that had addressed the issue – except the Fifth Circuit – had flatly rejected this analysis. The Supreme Court has now corrected the Fifth Circuit’s error, and Mississippi’s case will properly be returned to Mississippi Chancery Court.
Attorney General Jim Hood stated, " The United States Supreme Court was crystal clear that federal courts have no jurisdiction under the so-called Class Action Fairness Act over actions brought by state Attorneys General for consumer and anti-trust violations. For far too long, large corporations have abused the federal judiciary by trying to drag every action filed by an Attorney General in state court into federal courts. The working people of Mississippi and other states won one this time."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that an action by an attorney general on behalf of the state’s citizens does not fit within CAFA’s language. The Court held that, because the State of Mississippi, through its attorney general, is the only plaintiff, this suit does not constitute a mass action.
The State sued makers of liquid crystal displays (LCD) in Mississippi state court in January 2011, alleging that these manufacturers had formed an international cartel to restrict competition and boost prices in the LCD market. Several of the defendants in the State’s case pled guilty to charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and paid criminal fines to the U.S. Government. The Mississippi Attorney General sued to recover for the economic harm to the State and …
Story
City & County
Questions Loom for Jackson, JSU Football
JSU announced Dec. 18 that it would replace Rick Comegy and, less than one month later, unveiled Harold Jackson.
Story
Dozens of Trade-Offs in $1.1 Trillion Budget Bill
A massive $1.1 trillion spending bill, aimed at funding the government through October and putting to rest the bitter budget battles of last year, is getting generally positive reviews from …
Story
Clashes Kill 11 on First Day of Egypt Vote
A referendum on a new constitution laid bare the sharp divisions in Egypt six months after the military removed the elected Islamist president. Pro-army voters lined up Tuesday outside polling …
