1 lawsuit over appointment of Mississippi judges dismissed, another case still alive

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge has dismissed one lawsuit that challenges a new law dealing with appointment of judges in the majority-Black capital city of Jackson and the surrounding county. But, a separate lawsuit remains alive in federal court. Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas wrote Monday that appointing judges does not violate the Mississippi Constitution. Three Jackson residents testified last week that the new law tramples their rights because most Mississippi judges are elected. Thomas wrote that a 1989 state law allows appointment of judges in some circumstances. A federal judge has set a May 22 hearing on the other lawsuit.