Mississippi
Federal judge rules in favor of creating Mississippi state-run court in capital city
A federal judge ruled Sunday that Mississippi officials can create the planned state-run court in Jackson, the state capital, where the majority of residents are Black, despite objections from the NAACP. The decision is part of a more significant legal battle over Mississippi’s expansion of state power in Jackson, which the NAACP has sued against.
US District Judge Henry Wingate dismissed requests to block the new court, stating that the NAACP and the citizen plaintiffs could not prove “concrete and particularized injury” and had no alleged threatened harm by the future judicial appointments. Legal precedent establishes that to have standing, the plaintiffs must prove “sustained or [that they are] immediately in danger of sustaining some direct injury as the result of the challenged statute or official conduct.” In the oral argument, the lawyer for the NAACP, Brenden Cline, admitted that the organization did not suffer direct injury but claimed that the fellow plaintiffs did because they are citizens who voted in Jackson. The court was not persuaded that the citizens had standing simply because they lived in Jackson, were registered voters and were African American. Wingate emphasized that the case thus could not bring a “particular motion for injunctive relief either individually or collectively.”
The original lawsuit accuses Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and other state officials of unfairly singling out Jackson. The civil rights organization said the legislation is undemocratic because it takes away the power of residents to elect their judicial officials. All-white state conservative officials will appoint judges for the Black district, and state police jurisdiction will expand throughout the city. Yet, the Mississippi Constitution directs that circuit court judges “be elected by the people” for four-year terms. The new system would bypass this requirement and would not apply to the rest of Mississippi.
Reeves released a statement after approving the legislation stating, “As long as I’m Governor, the state will keep fighting for safer streets for every Mississippian no matter their politics, race, creed, or religion – regardless of how we’re portrayed by liberal activists or in the national media.”
The court in question is the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court (CCID), which a state-appointed judge and prosecutors will lead. The NAACP has argued that the new court would take power away from Jackson citizens, impede citizens’ Fourteenth Amendment rights and cause procedural irregularities and bias. The Republican state legislators argued that the high crime rate in Jackson requires state intervention and greater policing. Violent crime exceeded the national average by 115.96 percent, according to the latest crime data submitted by the Jackson Police Department to the FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System.
Former US Attorney General Eric Holder, in support of the NAACP, announced, “Mississippi House Bill 1020 and Senate Bill 2343 represent a disturbing regression, rolling back decades of progress by stripping Jackson residents of their fundamental right to democratically elected leaders.”
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a stay on the matter until Friday, and the district court is directed to issue a final appealable order by noon on Wednesday.
Mississippi
An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century
A 174-year-old brick parsonage house on a bluff above the Mississippi River is now for sale in Natchez, Mississippi, asking $1.985 million.
The home, completed in 1852, was built by architect James Hardie as a residence for Methodist ministers, according to historical records. The land was donated by Peter Little, a wealthy cotton broker and slave owner who built the city’s historic Rosalie mansion.
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The house was initially built as a one-story residence with an “English” basement and a carriage house; a two-story annex was added later, according to the listing with Douglas Adams of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty, informed by the Historic Natchez Foundation.
“The location is what is superb because it is one of the highest points in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River,” said Adams, who posted the listing Thursday.
In 1893, the Parsonage changed hands for the last time when it was purchased by James and Agnes Metcalfe, and has been in the Metcalfe family ever since.
Known as the Parsonage, the residence is considered a classic example of Greek Revival architecture from the pre-Civil War South, with a wide portico, raised porch and sash windows. It is located on South Broadway Street, in a commanding position that overlooks Bluff Park, the Mississippi and downtown Natchez. It spans 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms, two formal parlors flanking a central hall and richly detailed interiors that include original exposed-brick walls, fireplaces and stained-glass windows.
In addition to a front porch, the property includes several outdoor terraces and balconies, including a second-floor wraparound deck and a balustraded rooftop—which has the best vantage point from which to see the wide views.
The home was occupied for many years by the late Albert and Gay Metcalfe, who married at the Parsonage in 1959, and would host events for friends. “It became something of a social hub,” Adams said. “They’d host families to celebrate someone’s life; there may have been some weddings that occurred there.”
Gay Metcalfe died in 2023 and the heirs are her three children, Adams said. The family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Hardie, the architect, was a Scottish immigrant who built several other notable buildings in Natchez, including most prominently St. Mary Basilica, a Gothic Revival structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Homewood plantation, a Greek Revival mansion.
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According to local lore, the Parsonage was commissioned by Little because his wife, Eliza’s religious devotion led her to welcome every passing minister into their home, according to “Natchez,” a 1940s history of the city. Displeased with the “long siege of such guests,” Little decided to build a separate home for his wife’s visitors.
Little’s own mansion at Rosalie still stands today near the site of the 1729 massacre of the Natchez Native Americans, from whom the city takes its name.
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball swept its previous two SEC opponents but fell on the other end against Georgia.
No. 4 MSU (25-7, 7-5 SEC) was swept by No. 5 Georgia (27-6, 10-2) at Dudy Noble Field. It was the first time MSU was swept under first-year coach Brian O’Connor.
Mississippi State lost 10-9 on April 2, 3-1 on April 3 and 8-5 in 10 innings on April 4.
The three straight losses created the longest losing streak of the season. Georgia’s last sweep of MSU at Dudy Noble Field was in 2004.
“I’m not concerned,” O’Connor said. “Listen, you see it all over the place in this league. People get swept and things like that. When I talk to the team, I talk about taking each game like its own individual game.
“… There were certainty plenty of bright spots, but just not enough. I believe we got away from what got us to this point for whatever reason. We have to own that; we have to stand up as men and acknowledge what happened and make the adjustments to get back on the right track and play winning Mississippi State baseball.”
Star third baseman Ace Reese launched a shot that looked like it was going to win Game 3 in the ninth inning, but it was caught at the warning track.
“It’s not concerning at all,” Reese said. “We’re a great ball club. I know what we can do. It was just unfortunate. We didn’t play good enough. We didn’t hit in situations well enough, and we didn’t pitch at the right time well enough.”
What Brian O’Connor wants more of from Mississippi State baseball
O’Connor said he agreed with a reporter’s observation that there was negative body language from Mississippi State players throughout the series.
“Words matter, and I met with the team before the stretch this morning and talked to them specifically about that and what a winner’s mentality looks like,” O’Connor said. “We just have to be better from that standpoint. We have to grow in that area. We showed some immaturity this weekend, and Georgia exposed that.”
Mississippi State fell behind 10-2 in Game 1 in the fifth inning after a poor start from Charlie Foster and relief appearance by Jack Gleason. MSU scored seven unanswered runs after that but failed to drive in the tying run in the ninth inning.
MSU got another outstanding pitching start from Tomas Valincius in Game 2, but never scored after the first inning. Game 3 was tied at 5-5 through six innings until Michael O’Shaughnessy hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning.
Mississippi State left 32 batters on base throughout the series and batted 1-for-22 in the final two games with runners in scoring position.
Georgia also scored numerous runs throughout the series because of passed balls and wild pitches.
“Just overall a tough weekend,” O’Connor said. “That can happen in this league. It’s no excuse. We don’t accept it. We just have to learn from it and play be a little bit more tough-minded and approach the game the right way.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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