Mississippi judge approved a temporary restraining order Tuesday A defamation lawsuit was filed.
On February 13, four commissioners from Clarksdale voted unanimously Prosecution Clarksdale Press Register, claiming it was defamation. Specifically, the city’s February 8 editorial “confidentiality, deception erodes public trust” and the New York mayor claimed that the mayor and commissioner did not properly inform the media meeting to discuss the new tax.
News Register editorial explain, “[T]His Clarksdale City failed[ed] Give the public details about this idea and then make a resolution to the Mississippi Legislature demanding taxes on alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. ”
“The notice was released at the City Hall as required by law and said the city would send appropriate notices to the media,” the editorial said. However, “this newspaper has never received notice. We know no other media organizations have been notified.”
The Clarksdale Press Register deleted an editorial from earlier this month after Tuesday’s court order. (Google Earth)
City Attorney Melvin Miller II told Fox News Numbers: “This meeting is open to the public. The meeting should be published the way it was before and on the mayor’s Facebook page, as the meeting is usually held . A commissioner or commissioner or board of directors as a whole. ”
Mayor and Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy claimed that the document’s editorial was defamatory and filed a lawsuit against the paper, its owner and registered editor and publisher Floyd ·Ingram (Floyd Ingram).
According to the complaint“In the context of his title, Mr. Ingram also strongly said or implied that the reason he did not receive the notice of the meeting on 4 February 2025 was because the board of directors and its members received a “snack” and just wanted to To some lobbying for the idea in Jackson’s nights – at the expense of the public, “holding candies, Christmas toy giveaways on Halloween, and hosting events where politicians can distribute candy bags to voters, making the community “suspicious.”
“His statement can be reasonably understood as announcing or suggesting that he did not give him a ‘deceptive’ reason for his statement proved by someone in the community’s willingness to reveal a board member in exchange for a vote or a promise in the course of time. ” It continues.
The lawsuit further claims that efforts to lobby legislation have been “refrigerated and hindered” by editorials and that if allowed to remain accessible, “immediate and irreparable harm, loss or damage will result in Clarksdale, the Board of Directors and its members and the public. .”
Hinders County Court Judge Crystal wise Martin Tuesday approved the city’s petition requesting a temporary restraining order to remove editorials from its website and make it “inaccessible” to the public. As of Wednesday, this article is no longer available.
On February 27, a hearing on the city’s request for a preliminary ban was held.
“In this case, the harm is to slander public figures by recklessly ignoring the actual malicious intention of truth and interfering with their legitimate functions to promote legislation, which they believe will help their municipalities in the current legislative cycle,” he said. Order Reading.
Miller told Fox News numbers that this is not an attack on the media, but rather the city believes it is a false story.
“We generally don’t follow the press,” Miller said. “We just apply to remove the editorial of defamation. Mississippi has no slander opinion, but just has an untrue one used to dye articles in legislation. This is aimed at The board members, it hurts the city. Any other report. In legislation, we are not pursuing it, and it is not true only in the case of what the board members do.”
The Clarksdale City Council met earlier this month to discuss the 2% tax on certain commodities. (Clarksdale City)
In a comment on Fox News’ digital numbers, the individual rights lawyer Adam Steinbaugh attacked the “unconstitutional” decision.
“this Clarksdale, Mississippi, “It thinks it knows better than the founder,” Steinberg said. “Clarksdale asked the court to order local newspapers to delete the editorial, asking why the city is less transparent about the proposed tax increase. The court has ordered Clarksdale because of the city’s lawsuit. News Register deletes online editorials.”
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He continued: “This is unconstitutional. In the United States, the government cannot determine what opinions can be shared in public squares. Free societies do not allow governments to sue newspapers for editorials. Fire) is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights , all options are being explored to help journalists defend these core rights to express themselves.”
Fox News Numbers Reach out for comment with Clarksdale Press Register.
