Jackson Free Press

Sheriff: Rankin County Work-Release Program Is Not ‘Convict Leasing,’ A Vestige of Slavery

ACLU-MS Deputy Director Alicia N. Netterville said that the first iteration of House Bill 747 effectively functioned as convict-leasing by another name.

Clinton to Speak at Memorial of Late Mississippi Gov, Wife

Democratic former President Bill Clinton, Republican former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson are scheduled to speak May 3 at an event celebrating the …

Janus, Former Mississippi Lawmaker, Dies of Cancer at 55

Funeral services are Monday for former Mississippi state Rep. Michael Janus, who died Tuesday. He was 55.

Judge Issues Contempt Order Over County Jail in Mississippi

A federal judge has issued a civil contempt order against Mississippi's largest county, saying officials have failed to fix more than two dozen problems in a jail plagued by violence …

‘God Selected This Case’: The Christian Dominionist War On Abortion, Part II

Days before the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump celebrated the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, achieving a top priority of many Christian dominionist …

Mississippi Executes First Inmate in Nine Years

Last evening the State of Mississippi executed David Neal Cox, 50, by way of lethal injection. The execution marks the first case of capital punishment carried out by the state …

Woman Who Won Freedom from Prison in 2011 Dies of COVID-19

Jamie Scott, a woman who won freedom from prison a decade ago after being convicted with her sister in a 1993 armed robbery in Mississippi, then went on to become …

One Jail’s Tale: Hinds County Detention Center At Risk of Federal Takeover

The Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond, Miss., suffered from structural defects from its opening on Monday, Nov. 14, 1994.

Mississippi Voting Rights Case is Argued at U.S. Appeals Court

The authors of Mississippi's 1890 constitution had racist intent when they stripped voting rights from people convicted of some felonies because they chose crimes they thought were more likely to …

U.S. Appeals Court to Hear Mississippi Voting Rights Case

A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn Mississippi's ban on voting rights for people convicted of some felonies—a case that …

Analysis: Mississippi Examines Help for Departing Inmates

A Mississippi law that took effect July 1 expands parole eligibility, and lawmakers are looking at programs that could help people make the transition from prison back into the free …

Edward G. Cortright Jr.

Edward G. Cortright Jr., who served as chancellor for Mississippi's 11th Chancery District for 26 years, died on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at age 94.

OPINION: To Maintain a Legacy or Start Afresh? Questions Surround Veterans Memorial Stadium’s Fate

"Football is a contact sport. In addition to the ever-present risk of life-threatening injuries, our recent COVID-19 experience suggests a facility big enough to maintain social distancing is important."

Letter to Biden Says ‘Trump’s Racist Raid’ Caused Damage to Immigrants, He Must Reverse

A letter to President Joe Biden is demanding action to address the plight of immigrant workers in the wake of the August 2019 federal raid of food-processing plants in six …

High Court Won't Block Mississippi School Disparity Lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it will not get involved, for now, in a lawsuit that says Mississippi allows grave disparities in funding between predominantly Black and predominantly white …

Jason Dean

For Dr. Jason Dean, a passion for Mississippi and a drive to help his home state grow have guided his life and career.

Rest in Peace, Ronni Mott: Your Journalism Saved Lives. This I Know.

Ronni Mott's journalism and storytelling defined her—especially her work on physically and sexually abused, tortured, stalked and murdered women in Mississippi.

Barbour Pardons 4 Brutal Killers of Women

Ronni Mott and a team of women interns investigated a list of pardons by Gov. Haley Barbour in 2008 of men who had brutally murdered wives and girlfriends.

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• March 17, 2021

Mississippi Development Authority Chief Gets Job Permanently

The Mississippi Development Authority is giving its interim director the job permanently. John Rounsaville earned his promotion by buoying Mississippi’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday.

Three Mississippi Supreme Court Justices Begin New 8-Year Terms

Three Mississippi Supreme Court justices are beginning new eight-year terms. Those inaugurated Monday were Chief Justice Mike Randolph, Presiding Justice Leslie D. King and Justice Josiah Dennis Coleman.