MS AG to Challenge Pardon Law

Four prisoners pardoned by former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour are going to be released Saturday, and the state’s attorney general, Jim Hood, seeks to change the law that allowed them to be pardoned in the first place. On Thursday, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld Barbour's controversial pardons, which he issued to more than 200 convicts in January during his last week of office. The pardons "may not be set aside or voided by the judicial branch," the court ruled in a 6–3 decision—meaning four convicted murderers will be released Saturday. Hood, meanwhile, wants the governor's unique pardoning power to be put to a vote. After losing yesterday's case, the Democratic AG began collecting signatures in an attempt to put the question on the ballot in the coming elections.