Mississippi House to impose state (white) appointed judges and prosecutors to rule over Jackson.
The Mississippi House has approved the creation of a new court system in which judges and prosecutors would be appointed by state officials — who all happen to be white — for the capital of Jackson, which has the second-highest percentage of Black residents among U.S. cities.
The bill proposing the new court, which needs approval from the state Senate and governor to become law, was overwhelmingly passed Tuesday by a supermajority of white Republican legislators after intense opposition by Black Democratic legislators, news outlets reported.
The change would be a break from the rest of the state, where judges and prosecutors are elected by voters.
If approved by the state Senate and governor, the court system and its judges would preside over a so-called improvement district spanning Jackson’s downtown and shopping and entertainment areas.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who — like 80% of city residents — is Black, reportedly said, “It reminds me of apartheid,” after watching the debate from the House gallery.
If the new Jackson court system is approved by the Senate and governor, its judges and clerk would be appointed by the state Supreme Court’s chief justice, who is white.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/08/mississippi-house-oks-new-court-system-to-be-appointed-by-white-state-officials.html
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