Justice

OPINION: The Work of Overcoming Abuse

"Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth."

EDITORIAL: State Lawmakers Must Support Abuse Victims

Domestic and interpersonal abuse, especially violence against women, are systemic and national in scope, but some clear policy and program solutions would make Mississippi safer and better for women.

Hinds DA Facing Different Kind of Trial for Alleged Abuse, Stalking in Rankin County

In the last year, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith has avoided a conviction in two trials for hindering prosecution in Hinds County that would have forced him from office as the area's top prosecutor, and probably gotten him disbarred.

EDITOR'S NOTE: One Small, Honest Voice After #MeToo

Maybe you weren't bullied, but as a woman, you've probably been told to make yourself smaller and to fit the mold society created for you.

Hinds DA Seeks to Block Abuse, Drug Testimony As Trial Moves Forward

The Mississippi Supreme Court denied Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith's appeal this morning.

Mississippi: Listen to the ‘Me, Too’ Chorus

Women should not have to post on social media to bring awareness to the harassment, assault and abuse that half of the world's population endures daily.

Men: Stop the Harassment

The journey from being shamed about a stranger commenting on my ass at 16 to being worried about its continual definition of who I am at 40 is one that is familiar to most women.

Attorney General: DA Smith Is 'Mistaken' In Appeal to State Supreme Court

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's office says Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith is "mistaken" about claims that the attorney general "exceeded the scope of his authority" by prosecuting Smith in Rankin County when the district attorney there did not explicitly ask for their assistance.

CORRECTED: Supreme Court Has Not Denied DA Smith's Appeal

The Mississippi Supreme Court denied Robert Shuler Smith's appeal to vacate his charges for abusing a former girlfriend before his trial starts in Rankin County later this month.

Jury Deadlocks in Trial Over Burning Death in Mississippi

A Mississippi judge declared a mistrial Monday in the burning death of a woman who emerged from a wooded area looking like a "zombie," mortally injured and struggling to tell firefighters who did it.

Hinds DA Smith's Supreme Court Appeal Delays Rankin County Trial

A Rankin County judge today delayed the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for aggravated stalking, robbery, and two counts of domestic violence, all involving an ex-girlfriend pending his effort to stop the trial.

From Trump to Weinstein: ‘This Way of Treating Women Ends Now’

Hell week for women started with Donald Trump telling employers they can cherry-pick access to birth control out of women employees' health insurance. It ended with a long line of Hollywood women collectively revealing mega-producer Harvey Weinstein's apparent habit of, um, "indiscretions."

Waiting for the DA: Smith Seven Hours Late to Face Rankin County Judge

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith was nearly seven hours late Monday to his pre-trial court date for two domestic-violence charges, an aggravated stalking charge, and a robbery charge he faces in Rankin County for allegedly attacking Christie Edwards.

Murder Case Raises Question: Do LGBT Hate Crime Laws Work?

Each year, for the past three years, LGBT advocacy groups have tallied the killings of more than 20 transgender people in the U.S. Yet state or federal hate crime laws are rarely used to prosecute the slayings.

UPDATED: Darnell Turner Gets 45 Years, Judge Brings Up DA Smith

The young woman who accused Darnell Turner of beating her, dragging her, strangling her, shooting at her car, and dangling her off a bridge in the Washington Addition when she was 22 was in the courtroom this morning when Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced the 39-year-old to 45 consecutive years in prison on three felony counts.

Ellington