• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Phil Ochs had a good song about it too.

          And here’s to the government of Mississippi

          In the swamp of their bureaucracy they’re always bogging down

          And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns

          And they hope that no one sees the sights

          And no one hears the sounds

          And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown

          Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of

          Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

          And here’s to the laws of Mississippi

          Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay

          While the Constitution’s drowning in an ocean of decay

          Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I’ve even heard them say

          Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way

          Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of

          Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrrOY0vwuPE

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    “I didn’t sue them because they exposed $77 million worth of misspending. He applauds them for doing that,” he said. “The suit is about defamation.”

    And that this “puts the journalists in their proper place” is just a unintended coincidence. I hope other journalists in Mississippi wake up and show some backbone.

    • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
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      5 months ago

      Well, their mistake was making public comments that he was guilty of embezzlement. There’s no real evidence of that, and he hasn’t been charged with anything. That’s not to say that he wasn’t involved, but unfortunately for the news organization those statements opened the door for this law suit.

      It’s a bad look but he’s not governor anymore so it doesn’t really hurt him to sue them. He doesn’t even have to win. Hell, he doesn’t even have to get his case in front of a jury. If they turn over the documents the judge is asking for, it will do irreparable damage to their news organization.

  • ToucheGoodSir@lemy.lol
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    6 months ago

    Well, the people putting her in jail… the judge, the prosecutor, those who spent that federal welfare money poorly… Karma is a BITCH

    • vortic@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      There is no prosecutor involved here. She is being civilly sued for defamation. She might go to jail if she defies a subpoena to turn over internal records that include confidential sources.

      Overall it seems like the ex governor might actually have a leg to stand on in court, but the bar for defamation is high. I think it’s unlikely that, if this went to court, the ex governor would win. I expect this to be settled before actually being argued in court, though.

        • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
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          5 months ago

          He doesn’t have to prove jack shit if the judge is ordering them to turn over their internal documents as part of the case. The judge might look them over, decide there’s nothing relevant, and dismiss the case, but it won’t matter. The damage will already be done because sources will be less likely to trust them in the future.

        • vortic@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          You’re right, it does. He’s pretty unlikely to win in court, but lawyers are expensive. I expect they’ll reach a settlement just to avoid paying lawyers. Journalists aren’t known for having deep pockets to pay legal fees, unfortunately.

          • Bahnd Rollard@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            You just brought that up and I did a quick search says that Mississippi does not have any anti-SLAPP laws… That blows…

    • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      I learned that judges in Mississippi are elected and not required to actually be a lawyer or know the law. The story i saw was about an armed off-duty cop who threatened to kill a man and two children who were trying to catch a loose dog and stepped on his property. He called his cop buddies and told them that he was threatened and the cops arrested the man for aggravated assault. He went to trial and the 30 year old judge who’d never practiced law convicted him. It wasn’t overturned until the news started reporting on the situation and exposed what was going on.

      • ToucheGoodSir@lemy.lol
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        5 months ago

        And this is why Mississippi has a big problem with brain drain as a state. It’s pretty much a third world country (Outdated terminology, but in terms of quality of life, it is comparable to undeveloped countries).