Jackson Free Press

Are Judges Up for Sale in Mississippi?

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to address an appeal by convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges Walter "Wes" Teel and John Whitfield, who a U.S. District …

Melton Came Within Two Votes of Conviction

Within days of coming within two votes of going to federal prison, Mayor Frank Melton revealed to the Jackson Free Press last Thursday for the first time publicly that he …

The Klansman Bound: The Road to Justice (A Timeline)

Klansmen kidnap Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, two African American teenagers in Meadville, Miss., beat them at gunpoint in a Mississippi national forest, and forcibly throw them into …

Bring the Noise

Legislative Republicans are setting 'em and knockin' 'em down. After a clumsy first month when the House didn't even have committee assignments, bills are starting to soar through the committee …

Melton Indictments: The JFP Story That Started It All

Read Adam Lynch's breaking story that first revealed Mayor Frank Melton's Aug. 26 alleged rampage on Ridgeway Street in Jackson—the accusations that led to felony indictions of Melton and his …

[Hutchinson] Suppressing Minority Votes—Legally

News reports of state officials in crucial battleground states illegally purging thousands from voter rolls drew a flurry of media and public attention.

Melton Accuses, Councilman Objects

Photos by Brian Johnson and Adam Lynch

Mayor Frank Melton suggested that City Councilman Marshand Crisler and his brother Johnny Crisler were the focus of an investigation by the FBI in an interview with WJTV last Thursday. …

The FBI's Turn on Frank Melton?

Photos by Jaro Vacek and Brian Johnson

The FBI has subpoenaed documents from the city of Jackson, including but not limited to the activities of Mayor Frank Melton, according to Special Assistant to the City Attorney Pieter …

Pallet Ping-Pong

Photos by Adam Lynch & Jaro Vacek

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton is continuing the war with A-1 Pallet Company this week, saying he will move ahead with the proposed demolition of the company despite a strengthened restraining …

Clarion-Ledger Gets Homicide Facts Wrong

To boot, this is a dramatically wrong statement. (Thanks to golden eagle for catching it.)

In a front-page story today, The Clarion-Ledger reported on the city's rising homicide rate, warning that the 36 to date this year is approaching the "record of 57 in 2004"—incidentally …

Grant Me Justice: Two Women Killed in Two Weeks

Enjoying the slight drop in temperature on Monday, Sept. 17, Doris Shavers sat laughing with friends and family in her mother Ethel Sanders' front yard where the family liked to …

[Balko] Vanishingly Rare Misconduct Citations

In 2007, a court tried Sonya and Joseph Smith for felony murder in connection with the 2003 death of their 8-year-old son, Josef, who medical examiners said was beaten and …

Factchecking McCain on Small Biz

In all of Sen. John McCain's hand-wringing recently over Sen. Barack Obama's tax plan, there's something I have never seen said plainly enough that I'd like to state for the …

[Carter] Standing in Solidarity

The morning of Feb. 12, 2008, was sobering for the students of E. O. Green School, in Oxnard, Calif. At 8:15 a.m., 8th-grade student Brandon McInerney walked into a computer …

Pity Would Be No More

In a few hours, I would be leaving Africa. After two weeks traveling through Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Central African Republic with New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nick …

Oversee This, But Not That

The governor's office put the lockdown on money going to the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi last week after the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the agency can no …

Of Lady Killers and 'Good Behavior'

Citizens can feel secure knowing that the men in green and white stripes working on the road crews are not rapists or murderers. Mississippi law says that violent criminals are …

Police: Melton Contaminates Crime Scenes

WAPT is reporting that the Jackson Police Officer Association is complaining to the City Council about the mayor's disruptions in the department, and blaming his interference for low morale among …

Judge Sets Rules For 'Inflammatory' Melton Trial Evidence

A federal judge heard arguments Friday on admitting evidence in the civil rights trial of Mayor Frank Melton and his former police bodyguard, Michael Recio. Most of the five-hour hearing …

Musgrove Camp Decries Scruggs Smear

Sen. Roger Wicker's supporters at the National Republican Senatorial Committee are attempting to link his Democratic opponent, Ronnie Musgrove, with incarcerated lawyer Paul Minor, as well as Mississippi attorney Richard …