Judge to decide fate of race discrimination suit
Attorneys for North East Mississippi Electrical Power Association have asked a U.S. District Court judge to throw out a $388,000 jury verdict against the utility company that resulted from a lawsuit filed by a former employee who claimed he was fired because of his race. (December 9, 2011, Page 2A)
Campaign finance laws challenged
Five Lafayette County residents have filed a First Amendment lawsuit Thursday against state officials challenging campaign finance laws. (October 21, 2011, Page 1A)
Judge seals response to Scruggs’ motion
A federal judge issued an order Tuesday granting a motion filed by the government to seal its response to a motion filed by Richard “Dickie” Scruggs who is seeking to have his conviction and sentence overturned in the judicial bribery case known in the legal world as Scruggs II. (August 31, 2011, Page 3A)
Zach Scruggs’ guilty plea stands
A federal judge on Wednesday refused to throw out the 2008 conviction of attorney Zach Scruggs in a corruption case that also involved his father, well-known trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs. U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers in Oxford denied the motion to vacate the conviction.
Judge considers motions to disqualify prosecutor
After a full day of testimony and arguments Monday, U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers Jr. said he will take up to 48 hours to rule on whether U.S. Assistant Attorney Bob Norman should be disqualified from testifying at any future hearings involving Zach Scruggs. (May 10, 2011, Page 1)
Judge moves hearing date for younger Scruggs
A U.S. District Court judge has moved the hearing date for Zach Scruggs to attempt to vacate his conviction for his role in a judicial bribery scheme to May 23. (March 29, 2011, Page 2)
State prosecutors call foul on Scruggs’ request for depositions
State prosecutors called Zach Scruggs’ request to question key players in the judicial bribery scam that sent him and four others to prison in an attempt to vacate his conviction “reckless, speculative and legally ineffective” in a reply to a motion filed Friday in the U.S. District Court in Oxford. (March 14, 2011, Page 3)
Scruggs presses case to regain law license
A U.S. District judge has given prosecutors until Friday to complete depositions of several people involved with a judicial bribery case that involved Zach Scruggs, who is attempting to vacate his conviction and sentence and regain his license to practice law. (March 9, 2011, Page 1)
Bank robber seeks insanity defense
The attorney for a man charged with robbing the Mississippi Federal Credit Union Bank on West Jackson Avenue in June claims he will use insanity as his client’s defense, according to court records filed Thursday at the U.S. District Court in Oxford.
Perry E. Moseley, 32, of Marks was arrested June 30 after local law enforcement officers apprehended Moseley 15 minutes after a 911 call reported that a man entered into the bank and told the teller he had a gun and demanded money. (January 28, 2011, Page 2A)
Court overturns OPD bust
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision to deny a motion to suppress evidence discovered by Oxford Police Department officers during a malicious mischief investigation in 2007.
OPD officers pulled over a vehicle seen leaving the area where someone had thrown something at a window in an apartment complex. Drugs and a firearm were found in the vehicle and Cahafer Benjamin and Kao Wokoma were indicted on drug and firearm charges.
The two men filed a motion with the U.S. District Court to suppress the evidence, claiming the officer has no reasonable suspicious to stop the vehicle. The lower court denied the motion, however, on Monday the Court of Appeals reversed their conviction and overturned the denial to suppress the evidence. (November 30, 2010, Page 2)
