Mississippi city (Clarksdale) drops lawsuit over newspaper editorial that judge ordered removed

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Mississippi city drops lawsuit over newspaper editorial that judge ordered removed

By ANDREW DEMILLO
Updated 7:24 PM EST, February 24, 2025

A Mississippi city dropped its lawsuit Monday against a newspaper that had its editorial criticizing local leaders removed by a judge in a case that sparked widespread outrage from First Amendment advocates.

The city of Clarksdale’s board of commissioners sought to dismiss its libel lawsuit against The Clarksdale Press Register, filing the request moments after its board of commissioners approved the move.

The judge in the case must still dismiss her order that the editorial be removed from the paper’s website, which the city also asked her to do. She had originally set a hearing for Thursday in the case.

“It’s still very, very wrong what they did and it awakened the entire First Amendment community nationally, which is very encouraging,” said Wyatt Emmerich, president of Emmerich Newspapers, the parent company of the paper. “I’m really excited to see how all these people rallied around us to protect our rights.”

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-newspaper-editorial-removed-judge-lawsuit-5937a4e4ed366745c8e7da0239bb5cce

[slightlv]

1. This makes me think of that little newspaper in a suburb of Wichita, KS

that was horribly treated, and the elderly female owner who lost her life when the police came busting through her door. If anyone remembers this case (it was written about here in DU, and also nationally), and knows what has happened to the authorities that violated those people's civil rights, let me know. I followed it for a long time, but eventually it dropped off the news feeds.

[lees1975]

2. There's a judge that needs to be removed from the bench and dis-barred.

Doesn't know the Constitution.