The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 12/9/8
Reporters will get a look at letters written to influence U.S. District Chief Judge Michael P. Mills before he sentences former Booneville attorney Joey Langston next week.
The letters will be available for scrutiny Wednesday, Mills ruled Monday.
Asking to see the letters were Journal Publishing Co., which owns the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal; The Oxford Eagle; Daily Mississippian editor Paul Quinn; and Public Radio reporter Sandra Knispel.
“In this case, the court is likewise concerned that the release of the letters may cause pain or embarrassment to the writers,” Mills wrote.
But a compelling reason exists to disclose the letters because the case is “exceptional,” he noted – “since the defendant pleaded guilty to having engaged in a conspiracy to corruptly influence an elected state official,” which has caused “considerable damage to the justice system in this state.”
Magnolia Tribune
