Mississippi Legal Overview The Mississippi Supreme Court is the highest court in Mississippi, with nine justices elected from three districts for eight-year terms. The Court of Appeals has ten judges elected from five districts for eight-year terms to hear appeals coming from the circuit, chancery and county courts. The circuit courts, with 22 circuits and 53 judges, are the main trial courts with general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The chancery courts have jurisdiction over equity matters. County courts deal with eminent domain and juvenile cases, while justice courts handle small claims, misdemeanors and traffic offenses.
Top metro Mississippi areas for Legal Issues: Jackson
1. Capital punishment is legal in Mississippi and administered by lethal injection. Lawsuits originating in Mississippi have clarified the law regarding evidence obtained illegally due to law enforcement excesses. In Brown v. Mississippi (1936), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that involuntary confessions extracted as a result of brutal police beatings and violence were inadmissible as evidence. In Davis v. Mississippi (1969), the Fourth Amendment was applied to involuntary detention during investigation as well as the accusatory stage. The court ruled that fingerprints obtained through an unlawful detention are inadmissible similar to any evidence obtained through unlawful search or seizure. 2. A trial in Mississippi over a claim that has been filed over Obamacare is set for October 2012. 3. A Mississippi woman who has suffered a left atypical femur fracturer from using a specific type of a medication that has been linked to bone fractures is filing a lawsuit.
Trending Mississippi Legal Topics: A voluntary Mississippi Bar Association (MBA) established in 1821 by Natchez may be the first state bar association in the United States. The MBA became a unified bar in 1932, and all of the nearly 6,900 lawyers licensed to practice law in Mississippi are now required to be members of the state bar association. Additionally, the Commission on Judicial Performance investigates judiciary misconduct. |