U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate smiles on Aug. 19, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Wingate ruled Thursday, June 1, 2023, that the Mississippi chief justice cannot be a defendant in a lawsuit that challenges a state law dealing with appointed judges. Wingate cited the principle of judicial immunity, which prevents judges from being sued for most of their judicial acts. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice cannot be sued over a state law that requires him to appoint some judges in the capital city of Jackson, a federal judge wrote Thursday in a ruling that also condemned violence in the city.