Officials Want to Toughen Miss. Laws in Wake of Corruption Cases
Associated Press
January 23, 2008
By John O'Brien
At the Mississippi Capitol, lawmakers lean against marble pillars and whisper about the federal charges against multimillionaire attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs. And though few speak openly about the allegations that Scruggs attempted to bribe a judge, it was clear his case was part of the impetus for proposals aimed at removing the stain that public corruption cases have left on the state's judicial image.
Attorney General Jim Hood told lawmakers Wednesday he's proposing bills to give the state authority to wiretap in public corruption cases and to clarify the obstruction of justice law to include bribing a judge. Both are factors in the federal case against Scruggs, who has been a major contributor of campaign cash to Hood and other elected officials over the years.
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Last November, a grand jury in Oxford indicted Scruggs, his son and law partner, Zach, and three others on charges they tried to bribe Circuit Court Judge Henry Lackey for a favorable ruling in a dispute over fees from a mass settlement of Hurricane Katrina insurance lawsuits. The indictments have damaged the image of the state's judiciary even though only a few lawyers are involved, Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Smith told reporters....
