The Monday hearing before U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves was the second time Reeves had taken up claims from inmates held in the Lauderdale County jail in Meridian. Photo by Imani Khayyam.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge is again calling officials from a Mississippi county before him to ask why inmates are languishing in the county jail without bail or trial.
The Monday hearing before U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves was the second time Reeves had taken up claims from inmates held in the Lauderdale County jail in Meridian.
The county of 80,000 people is just one of Mississippi's jurisdictions under scrutiny for holding people on bail they can't afford, or not providing them a lawyer, or not moving fast enough to trial.
Murder defendant Leroy Lewis says he's been seeking trial for more than a year. But the state says Reeves should reject his claims, saying the defense is to blame for some delays and that Lewis is scheduled for trial next month.
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