A rule change under consideration by the Mississippi Supreme Court could ease judicial tensions in Hinds County by changing the way criminal cases are assigned.
If approved, the rule would stipulate that cases be randomly assigned by a computer with no discernable pattern.
In Hinds County, criminal cases now are categorized by their severity and assigned by a senior judge, a practice criticized by African-American judges who say they have been given less-severe cases.
The judges’ concerns were the focus of a legislative hearing Monday at the state Capitol, where lawmakers on a Mississippi House judiciary committee considered tweaking the law before Supreme Court Presiding Justice William Waller told them of the proposed change.
“The effect would be, hopefully, an even distribution of all cases,” Waller said.
House Judiciary A Committee Chairman Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, said he is encouraged by the news, adding it would “place confidence in the integrity of the process.”
Magnolia Tribune
