Tag: mississippi

Supreme Court Allows Mississippi Age Verification Law to Take Effect, Advancing Online Digital ID Push

The Supreme Court’s choice to let Mississippi enforce its new age verification law is part of a growing shift toward digital ID requirements across the internet, raising urgent concerns about privacy and censorship.

By declining to block the law while legal challenges continue, the Court has effectively allowed states to begin tying online activity to users’ real-world identities, a move that could reshape how people access information and speak freely online.

We obtained a copy of the ruling for you here.

Mississippi’s HB 1126 requires social media platforms to verify a user’s age before allowing them to create an account. Those under 18 must obtain parental permission. Platforms are also required to restrict access to what the state broadly labels as “harmful” content. For companies to comply, identity checks will be necessary, meaning users may soon need to provide government IDs or other personal documents just to post or view content on public platforms.

The Supreme Court has already allowed a similar Texas law to be enforced.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing separately from the Court’s unsigned order, stated that the law is “likely unconstitutional” and said NetChoice had “likely” shown that enforcement would violate the First Amendment. Still, the Court allowed the law to take effect, saying the trade group had not shown a strong enough risk of harm to justify emergency relief.

NetChoice, which includes companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon, Reddit, and Discord, argues that mandatory age checks for general-purpose platforms violate free speech protections. The group had previously won a ruling to block the law, but that decision was overturned in April by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the ruling was a delay, not a defeat. “Although we’re disappointed with the Court’s decision, Justice Kavanaugh’s concurrence makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment — not just in this case but across all NetChoice’s ID-for-Speech lawsuits,” he said.

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Supreme Court Urged to Halt Mississippi’s Online Digital ID Law Over Free Speech and Privacy Concerns

NetChoice has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court to halt the enforcement of Mississippi’s online age verification digital ID law, House Bill 1126, after the Fifth Circuit stayed a preliminary injunction without explanation. The group is urging the Court to reinstate the district court’s ruling and protect First Amendment rights, which it argues are under immediate threat.

The Mississippi law compels every person, regardless of age, to verify their identity before creating accounts on social media platforms, and requires minors to obtain explicit parental consent.

NetChoice argues that this framework “unconstitutionally imposes content-based parental-consent, age-verification, and monitoring-and-censorship requirements for vague categories of speech on social media websites.”

The emergency filing warns of far-reaching consequences, asserting that “the Act will prevent access to that expression for some users entirely—including those unwilling or unable to verify their age and minors who cannot secure parental consent.”

We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.

Adults would also be subject to this regime, required to share private information in order to access constitutionally protected online spaces.

According to the brief, “the Act would require adults and minors to provide personally identifying information to access all manner of fully protected speech.”

NetChoice compares this level of state control to a dystopian system where “stationing government-mandated clerks at every bookstore and theater to check identification before citizens can access books, movies, or even join conversations” would be the norm.

The brief continues, “This Act thus presents far different issues from pornography laws… it ‘directly targets’ a staggering amount of fully protected speech.”

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Court rules Mississippi’s social media age verification law can go into effect

A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users’ rights to privacy and free expression.

A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It’s the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country.

Parents – and even some teens themselves – are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by “sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.”

Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages.

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Justice Dept. Fines Company for Favoring Foreign Visa Workers Over Americans

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has fined a Mississippi-based company for favoring foreign workers on H-2A visas over American job applicants.

This week, the DOJ announced a settlement agreement with H2A Complete II Inc., a Mississippi firm that specializes in funneling foreign H-2A visa workers to United States farms after the department’s prosecutors found that Americans were being discriminated against.

“American workers seeking jobs in their own country deserve priority,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “This Department of Justice will continue to protect our country’s workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign nationals.”

The settlement requires the company to pay a $25,000 fine, revise its employment practices, and throw out its excessive job requirements in postings that are aimed at weeding American applicants out of the hiring process.

“DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination by employers that prefer to hire foreign visa workers instead of U.S. workers,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “Protecting job opportunities for the American workforce is one of our top priorities.”

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Mississippi GOP Asks Cops To Investigate Potential ‘Vote Buying’ Schemes

The Mississippi Republican Party (MSGOP) is asking state and local law enforcement to investigate what it claims are potential vote-buying schemes ahead of upcoming municipal elections next month.

On Wednesday, MSGOP Chair Mike Hurst sent a letter to Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Gulfport District Attorney W. Crosby Parker containing allegations of unlawful attempts to reward Gulfport residents for voting in the city’s June 3 elections. Specifically, Hurst alleged that “certain individuals, groups and campaigns appear to be directly and blatantly” violating state law that prohibits “any person [from offering] money or anything of substantial value to anyone for his vote.”

Individuals convicted for such actions “shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or imprisoned not more than six (6) months, or both,” according to the Mississippi Code.

Hurst claimed that on Monday evening, he was “made aware of at least two recent instances of what appear to be violations of the above statute.”

One of the alleged incidents flagged in the letter involves the purported distribution of “Souls to Polls Food Vouchers” by “certain individuals” in front of Gulfport City Hall, which Hurst noted is “where absentee voting in municipal elections are occurring.” According to the chairman, “These vouchers contain a picture of a ballot box with the word ‘vote’ on the front, specifically offering a ‘special prepared meal’ at a local Gulfport restaurant and are being handed out in front of Gulfport City Hall specifically after someone casts an absentee vote in the Gulfport municipal elections.”

“You will notice that these vouchers state that such meals are available ‘now through June 3’ —election day. A specific sign at that local Gulfport restaurant confirms the validity of the ‘Souls to the Polls’ vouchers and the specific exchange of things of value for votes,” wrote Hurst, who included photos of the alleged vouchers and restaurant sign in the letter (emphasis original).

The MSGOP chair also cited video footage — which The Federalist obtained — of what appears to be a woman sitting in a car handing out said vouchers to three individuals. Hurst claimed that this occurred “directly in front of Gulfport City Hall during operating hours of the City Clerk’s office, while absentee voting is occurring,” and that, “In one instance, when a woman handing out these vouchers was confronted by someone, she lied, first saying she didn’t know what the person was talking about, then saying she was simply watching voters for the Gulfport Democrat mayoral candidate.”

“Finally, the woman threatened the person asking questions by stating: ‘Don’t you be starting nothing!’” Hurst added.

The second alleged incident flagged by Hurst purportedly happened on Saturday, when “groups, individuals and even the Gulfport Democrat mayoral candidate’s campaign was sharing [a] flyer … entitled ‘Vote & Vibe Day Party,’ encouraging people to ‘meet at city hall 10 am’ where they would ‘vote together’ and then would ‘get your wristband after voting.’” The party chair claimed, “They were then invited to a local restaurant for free brunch by simply ‘show[ing] your wristband.’”

The letter links to social media posts by Democrat mayoral candidate Sonya Williams-Barnes sharing the flyer and touting the event to her Facebook followers. Williams-Barnes will face off against Republican Hugh Keating in the city’s June 3 elections.

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Mississippi Abolishes State Income Tax in Historic Win for Working Families and Economic Freedom

Mississippi has officially abolished its state income tax, positioning itself as a leader in the movement for economic freedom and limited government.

Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed the legislation into law Friday, declaring it a “generational victory” and a bold new chapter for working families, entrepreneurs, and freedom-loving Americans across the South.

“We did it, Mississippi!” Reeves wrote in a triumphant post on X. “We just eliminated the income tax!”

While Washington continues to suffocate the American people with taxes, inflation, and runaway spending, Mississippi is doing the opposite — returning power and prosperity to its citizens.

There are nine states in the United States that do not impose a state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. And now, joining their ranks—Mississippi!

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It Didn’t Take Long for Free Speech to Prevail in Mississippi

Last week, we brought you the story of a city council in Mississippi that was so thin-skinned that it couldn’t handle a critical editorial in the local paper. The City of Clarksdale took the Clarksdale Press Register to court over an op-ed in which the editors questioned why the city lobbied the state government for a “sin tax” without notifying the citizens or local media.

“The editorial highlighted how the mayor has touted his ‘open’ and ‘transparent’ governance, yet he and the city council didn’t notify the press about its intentions despite promising to ‘give appropriate notice thereof to the media,’” I wrote last week. “The editors admitted that they support the tax, yet they questioned why the city left everyone in the dark about the lobbying efforts.”

In the court filing, the city clerk admitted that she forgot to notify the media of the city’s efforts, which turned out to be a violation of state law. Nevertheless, Judge Crystal Wise Martin issued an order demanding that the paper take the editorial off its website — without a hearing that would give the paper a chance to tell its side of the story.

“For over a hundred years, the Press Register has served the people of Clarksdale by speaking the truth and printing the facts,” said Wyatt Emmerich, president of Emmerich Newspapers, the Press Register’s publisher. “We didn’t earn the community’s trust by backing down to politicians, and we didn’t plan on starting now.”

The order set off a First Amendment firestorm, and the paper enlisted the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to help defend itself against this unconstitutional onslaught. By the end of last week, FIRE had agreed to help the Press Register work to lift the judge’s order.

“The implications of this case go beyond one Mississippi town censoring its paper of record,” said FIRE attorney David Rubin. “If the government can get a court order silencing mere questions about its decisions, the First Amendment rights of all Americans are in jeopardy.”

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Mississippi bill would pay bounty hunters to catch undocumented immigrants

A Mississippi district attorney proposed new legislation Wednesday to pay bounty hunters a reward for helping to deport immigrants in the country illegally.

DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton announced his support for House Bill 1484, authored by state Rep. Justin Keen (R), which would create the Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program.

“We’ve seen firsthand the danger posed by bad actors and violent criminals who enter this country illegally, like the innocent life of Laken Riley,” Keen said in a statement. 

“President Trump’s administration has made it clear that deporting illegal immigrants is a priority, and we are proud to do our part here in Mississippi to help support his agenda and protect our citizens.”

Keen and Barton suggested offering a $1,000 reward to registered bounty hunters for each successful deportation they help facilitate, which would be funded by the general assembly and administered by the state treasurer, according to a press release from his office.

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Mississippi Democrat Proposes ‘Contraception Begins at Erection Act’ — Would Criminalize Masturbating or ‘Discharge of Genetic Material’ Without Intent to Fertilize

A bill put forward by a Mississippi Democrat is essentially seeking to outlaw masturbation.

Democrat State Sen. Bradford Blackmon this week introduced the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act,” which would prevent men from masturbating or engaging in sexual activity when there is no “intent to fertilize an embryo.”

The legislation put forward this week proposes fines of $1,000 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for subsequent violations.

Blackmon, a first-term senator representing a district north of Jackson, is apparently seeking to hold men accountable for their role in women having abortions.

“All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are fifty percent of the equation,” he told local media affiliate WLBT.

He added that the bill, which stands no chance of passing, is more about bringing men into the “conversation” around abortions.

”This bill highlights that fact and brings the man’s role into the conversation,” he continued.

”People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can’t say that bothers me.”

In another statement provided to Clarion Ledger, Bradmon expanded on his reasons for coming up with such a bizarre proposal.

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Multiple Mississippi elected officials indicted in federal bribery investigation

Several top elected officials in Mississippi’s most populous county are now defendants in a federal bribery probe.

HuffPost reporter Sam Levine tweeted an announcement from the Department of Justice, stating that an indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi in which three high-profile officials have officially been charged with “participating in a bribery scheme to enrich themselves.”

According to the indictment, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Jackson city council member (and former council president) Aaron Banks are all named as defendants. Mayor Lumumba confirmed his indictment to local NBC affiliate WLBT on Wednesday.

The indictment alleges that Jackson’s mayor, the district attorney in Jackson and members of Jackson’s city council conspired to accept bribes in exchange for official acts benefiting purported real estate developers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, who heads the DOJ’s Criminal Division.

“Officials who abuse their positions of authority to enrich themselves undermine public confidence in government. The Justice Department is committed to restoring that confidence by working with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption.”

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