BAY ST. LOUIS — A state judicial watchdog agency is asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to suspend a Hancock County Justice Court judge for ticket fixing. The petition was filed with the court by the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance against Judge Tommy Carver. The Sea Coast Echo reports the petition cites Carver for misconduct for allegedly dismissing five citations ...

OXFORD — Imprisoned former attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs wants to take his push to vacate his 2009 conviction in a judicial bribery case to a federal appeals court. And a judge has denied a request to reduce the sentence of co-defendant Steve Backstrom The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Scruggs filed a motion asking a judge to let him file ...

JACKSON — The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled yesterday in two cases that legal fees paid to private lawyers to represent the state are public funds. Justices said because the money belongs to the public, it should’ve been paid out to the lawyers from the attorney general’s contingent fund or from other money appropriated to the attorney general. A Hinds County ...

PASS CHRISTIAN — The city of Pass Christian has now decided it won’t appeal a judge’s decision denying the city’s request to annex 5.4 square miles in Harrison County. The Sea Coast Echo reports the board of aldermen reached that decision this week after Mayor Chipper McDermott said an appeal would cost $60,000. Aldermen then voted 3-2 against the appeal. ...

SOUTHAVEN — A federal appeals court has upheld the 37-month sentence handed to Robert Rainey, a Mississippi man convicted of defrauding a Memphis insurance company. Robert Rainey and his wife, Elizabeth, both of Southaven, were sentenced earlier this year on charges stemming from a scam involving insurance checks totaling nearly $700,000. Elizabeth Rainey was sentenced to four years. They admitted ...

ABERDEEN — A federal judge has dismissed imprisoned attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs’ push to vacate his 2009 conviction in a judicial bribery case The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Senior U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson yesterday dismissed Scruggs’ motion. If he decides to appeal, the matter would move to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. ...

TUPELO — A state judge yesterday ordered Rep. Brian Aldridge to pay more than $200,000 to his aunt, whose estate was plundered by his father who held her power of attorney and ultimately wiped it out. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Chancellor Michael Malski ordered Aldridge to pay Florence Aldridge $218,355. Malski said that even though Aldridge was not ...

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — A federal appeals court has scheduled oral arguments for June 4 in lawsuits challenging the failure of 11 Mississippi counties to redraw supervisor district lines in time for the 2011 election. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in New Orleans. In March of 2011, local branches of the NAACP ...

GULFPORT ­— A contract dispute has put on hold elevation work at the state port in Gulfport. The port’s West Pier is being expanded, elevated and updated to house a modern containerized cargo operation. When completed, the pier will include 180 acres elevated for storm-surge protection by 15 feet, to 25 feet above sea level. The Sun Herald reports Eutaw ...

SUMMIT — An ex-office manager has pleaded guilty in what prosecutors say was a multi-million-dollar health care fraud in which a cancer clinic gave patients diluted chemotherapy drugs and used old syringes on multiple people. Dr. Meera Sachdeva, Brittany McCoskey and Monica Weeks were indicted last August on charges including conspiracy and witness tampering related to the activities of Rose ...