Justice

Officer Who Shot Man Had Prior Excessive Force Complaint

The white South Carolina police officer charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man in the back was allowed to stay on the force despite a 2013 complaint that he used excessive force against another unarmed black man.

Family of Man Found Hanging in Mississippi Wants Information

Lawyers hired by the family of a black man who was found hanging in Mississippi said Wednesday that they are hiring independent experts, including a high-profile forensic pathologist, to conduct an investigation separate from the one pursued by state and federal authorities.

White SC Officer Charged with Murder in Black Man's Death

Dramatic video that shows a white South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man after a traffic stop has led authorities to file a murder charge against the officer amid public outrage over a series of deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement agents.

Closing Arguments Begin in Trial of Ex-NFLer Aaron Hernandez

A lawyer for former New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez told jurors on Tuesday that there is only one possible and lawful verdict in his client's murder trial: not guilty.

Jurors Begin Deliberating Charges Against Marathon Bomber

Jurors in the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began deliberations Tuesday, a day after both prosecutors and his lawyers told them Tsarnaev must be held accountable for participating in the terror attack.

County Might Not Pay for Private Lawyers in Weill, Public Defender Dispute

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors may refuse to pay private attorneys a county judge appointed because of a spat with the public defender's office.

Death Penalty Hearing for Man Charged with Killing 3 Muslims

The man accused of killing three North Carolina college students — their family says because they were Muslim — is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Monday to determine whether he could face the death penalty.

2 Protests in Town Where Man Found Hanging in Tree

Two weekend gatherings at the Claiborne County Courthouse called for action in the death of Otis Byrd, a man reported missing early in March and found March 19, hanging from a tree.

Advocates Seek Prison Changes as State Seeks Case Dismissal

Attorneys for the state of Mississippi argued in federal court Wednesday that steps have been taken to end inmate-on-inmate violence at a prison in Leake County.

Obama Signs Order Creating New Cyber Sanctions Program

President Barack Obama on Wednesday created the first-ever sanctions program to penalize overseas hackers who engage in cyber spying and companies that knowingly benefit from the fruits of that espionage, potentially including state-owned corporations in Russia and China.

Ex-Prisoners Get a Boost Amid MDOC Turmoil

Re-entry has to come into focus recently as the number of people let out of prison in Mississippi, which has one of the nation's highest imprisonment rates, is on the rise.

Corinth Police Investigating Assault, Possible Hate Crime

The Corinth Police Department is investigating an assault on a Corinth man as a possible hate crime.

Adams Co. Correctional Center Riot Trial Moved to Jackson

Three inmates charged with planning to kill a guard during a violent federal prison riot at Adams County Correctional Center will be tried June 8 in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

State NAACP Calls for Inquiry into Black Man's Hanging Death

Federal and state authorities are investigating the hanging death of a black man in Claiborne County who had been missing for more than two weeks, the FBI said Thursday.

Judge Jeff Weill vs. Public Defenders: The Next Ferguson?

A controversy brewing in the Hinds County courthouse has the potential to draw the attention of the United States Justice Department, which recently issued a scathing investigative report on the operation of municipal courts in Ferguson, Mo. On Monday, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill held two county public defenders in contempt when he appointed new attorneys to take over their cases, and the defenders refused to stand down.

Ellington