Mississippis

Bluesky Bows Out: Mississippi’s Tough Age Verification Law Shuts Down Access to Emerging Social Media Alternative

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JACKSON, Miss. — Residents in Mississippi will no longer be able to access Bluesky, a notable alternative to Elon Musk’s platform, X, due to stringent new age verification regulations. The legislation, considered groundbreaking, necessitates that users verify their age to access all social media websites, extending beyond existing requirements for explicit content. Bluesky announced on Friday that it would cease operations in the state to comply with this law. The company expressed significant concerns regarding both the financial implications and privacy issues for its users. In a recent blog post, Bluesky explained the challenges posed … Read more

Federal Court to Rule on Controversial Execution Protocol for Mississippi’s Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate

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JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge is expected to make a crucial ruling next week on whether Mississippi can proceed with the execution of Richard Gerald Jordan, who has spent decades on death row. The execution, which is set for June 25, has sparked legal debates over the state’s lethal injection protocol. Jordan’s attorneys filed a motion earlier this month seeking a temporary injunction to halt the execution, arguing that the current three-drug protocol raises significant ethical and constitutional concerns. At 79 years old, Jordan’s defense claims that the method of execution could lead to … Read more

Mississippi’s New Mental Health Law Struggles with Inconsistent Data, Challenging Implementation

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In an effort to curb the problematic trend of incarcerating individuals solely for their mental health issues, Mississippi enacted a new civil commitment law last year, officials report. The legislation comes in response to troubling findings that revealed many individuals with serious mental illnesses were being detained without criminal charges as they awaited involuntary psychological evaluations and treatment, a practice resulting in at least 17 deaths since 2006. Despite the intentions behind the law, which restricts the jailing of mentally ill individuals to those who are “actively violent” and for no more than 48 hours, … Read more

Lawsuit Dismissed: Federal Judge Upholds Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana Advertising Restrictions

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JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Mississippi who claimed that state regulations prohibiting advertising in most media amounted to censorship. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills ruled that since marijuana possession is still illegal under federal law, it is not considered a “lawful activity” and therefore does not receive constitutional protections for commercial speech. The owner of Tru Source Medical Cannabis, Clarence Cocroft II, opened his dispensary in Olive Branch following Mississippi’s legalization of medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions … Read more