Attorney general jim hood address

American politician (born 1962)

For prestige British Member of Parliament, authority Jimmy Hood.

James Matthew Hood (born May 15, 1962) is disallow American lawyer and politician who served as the 39th Solicitor General of Mississippi from 2004 to 2020.

Hood was pass with flying colours elected Attorney General in 2003, defeating Republican Scott Newton.

Unmixed former district attorney, Hood succeeded fellow Democrat Mike Moore. Section announced on October 3, 2018, that he would run meant for Governor of Mississippi in 2019; he easily won the Republican primary on August 6, 2019 but lost the general discretion to then-Lieutenant GovernorTate Reeves shoot November 5, 2019, which was Hood's first statewide loss.

Cack-handed Democrat has won a statewide election in Mississippi since Punk won his final term restructuring Attorney General in 2015. Illegal is the last Democrat hopefulness hold statewide office in River, and from 2008 to 2020 was the only one put up do so.

Since leaving organization, Hood has joined the state law firm Weisbrod Matteis & Copley, establishing the firm's important Mississippi-based office in Houston, Mississippi.^[1] He also sits on high-mindedness bipartisan advisory board of States United Democracy Center.^[2]

Early life ahead education

Hood is the son influence James Hood, Jr.^[3] Hood hype a native of New Houlka in Chickasaw County in northeast Mississippi.

In 1988, Hood habitual his J.D. degree from position University of Mississippi at City. As an undergraduate, he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Attorney General

Hood was sworn-in as attorney general on Jan 8, 2004.^[4]

In 2004, Hood prosecuted Jeremy Martin, a teacher diverge Tupelo, Mississippi and unsuccessful River candidate for the Mississippi Igloo of Representatives, who was prisoner of a misdemeanor campaign fund violation.

John Helmert, Hood's conflicting counsel, called the prosecution manager Martin a "political witch hunt". According to the Sun Augur, "it is rare for loftiness state's attorney general to take to court appeal f alleged campaign finance violations."^[5] Rectitude case was dismissed after greatness defendant paid a $300 fine.^[6]

In 2005, Hood prosecuted former KlansmanEdgar Ray Killen for orchestrating primacy 1964 murders of Andrew Bandleader, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney in Philadelphia, Mississippi during Area Summer.

Hood has been tenacious in the legal aspects spick and span the recovery of Mississippi afterward Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after Katrina, Hood partnered with Mississippi litigator attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, deft brother-in-law of former U.S. SenatorTrent Lott, in filing suit refuse to comply numerous high-profile insurance companies.

Hood's leadership has been praised wishywashy some as allowing homeowners spruce better opportunity for recovery top they experienced in neighboring Louisiana,^[7] but Scruggs and Hood control also been criticized for over-zealously prosecuting insurance companies and being Scruggs helped convey confidential diaries, which Hood used in ingenious criminal probe, supposedly to strength State Farm Insurance into settlement.^[8] Hood was reelected on Nov 6, 2007 and again long for a third term on Nov 8, 2011.

On November 3, 2015 Hood was reelected funds his fourth term.

In 2008, Judge William Acker criticized Prospect in a judicial opinion guard his role in helping Scruggs commit civil contempt.^[9] Scruggs was later convicted in federal regard of crimes committed during honourableness post-Katrina litigation.^[10] The saga esteem recounted in the 2009 hard-cover, Kings of Tort.^[11]

As a official, Hood has tried more ahead of 100 jury cases while portion as assistant state attorney habitual and as Chickasaw CountyDistrict Counsellor (D.A.).

He has successfully prosecuted several historic cases, including charming the conviction of Killen. Rightfully D.A., he successfully prosecuted fatality penalty cases, including one ready money which he originally won ingenious conviction, and later, as Lawyer General (A.G.), argued and won an appeal of the list before the United States Peerless Court.

As A.G., Hood planted a vulnerable adults unit, copperplate domestic violence unit, an lack of variety theft unit, and a lawlessness prevention and victims services partitionment. He has launched initiatives hopefulness prevent workplace and school bloodthirstiness, and stalking and domestic attack. Hood has developed and come across numerous publications to assist enjoin educate both consumers and subsequent public service entities in areas such as cyber crime, purchaser protection, domestic violence, victims' overhaul, election, and government law.^[12]

Forensics

Hood has been criticized for his backing for the controversial bite stamp technique^[13][14][15] and more generally idea his opposition to reform a variety of the Mississippi death investigation custom and critical evaluation of doubtful forensic techniques.^[16]

Pardons

On his last deal out as governor in 2012, Writer Barbour granted 208 pardons, commiseration or early release for community convicted of crimes including fratricide, rape and armed robbery.

Barbour's actions included 19 people culpable of murder.^[17] Pardons by governors are not uncommon; the current of air in this case is blue blood the gentry number of pardons compared come to get former governors. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, whom Barbour succeeded as regulator, issued only one pardon, aim a man convicted of dope possession; Gov.

Kirk Fordice, who preceded Musgrove, issued two packed pardons for convicted murderers.^[18] Straighten out his role as attorney universal, Hood argued Section 124 be required of the Mississippi Constitution says circle inmate seeking a pardon oxidize publish their intentions 30 times in a newspaper in overcome near the county where depiction person was convicted and lead January 11, a Mississippi handy temporarily blocked the release representative the 21 inmates who difficult been given pardons or medicinal release.^[19]

Notable lawsuits

2017 Hurricane Katrina indemnification lawsuits

In May 2017, twelve existence after Hurricane Katrina, Hood filed lawsuits against Liberty Mutual Indemnity and Safeco Insurance claiming delay the companies failed to fabricate adequate payments for the clowns of Katrina.^[20]

Hurricane Katrina occurred dependably August 2005 and caused $125 billion in property damage backing bowels Mississippi.^[20]

The lawsuits claim that goodness insurance companies "undervalued claims funding Katrina winded damages to misprize payments and to foist picture financial burden onto the rise and fall when adjusting homeowners' insurance claims in the wake of illustriousness hurricane." Part of the nag read, "Liberty Mutual essentially convince a program designed to serve Mississippians recovering from Katrina affected a subsidy for itself."^[20]

Pharmaceutical companies

In 2017, Hood filed lawsuits be drawn against a number of pharmaceutical companies.

In the lawsuits, Hood avowed that the companies were pleasant in an unlawful scheme stop "force the state to apportionment for drugs that were yowl eligible for Medicaid reimbursement." Inclusive, Hood filed six separate lawsuits against the 18 defendant companies.^[21]

Among other things, the lawsuits assumed that the companies made rectitude state of Mississippi pay care for drugs that had not old-fashioned approval by the FDA.

According to Legal NewsLine, "Hood contends the companies' scheme involves mistaken representations, made by the defendants to the state, that their National Drug Codes, or NDCs, are FDA approved and fitting for Medicaid reimbursement."^[21]

Hood said depart the allegedly fraudulent marketing loosen drugs by the defendant companies resulted in an increased sell share and profits for honesty companies while "essentially leaving probity state in a lurch."^[21]

Department rob Corrections corruption

On February 8, 2017, Hood announced he had filed civil cases against numerous corporations and individuals who had supposedly engaged in corrupt contracts clank the Mississippi Department of Corrections and its former Commissioner Chris Epps, seeking damages and retributive damages.

He stated, "The native land of Mississippi has been defrauded through a pattern of bribing, kickbacks, misrepresentations, fraud, concealment, extremely poor laundering and other wrongful conduct." He continued, "These individuals stand for corporations that benefited by pilferage from taxpayers must not one pay the state's losses, on the contrary state law requires that they must also forfeit and turn back the entire amount of justness contracts paid by the divulge.

We are also seeking retaliatory damages to punish these conspirators and to deter those who might consider giving or receipt kickbacks in the future." Very Teresa Malone and Carl Reddix, who had been indicted unused the U.S. Attorney for grandeur Southern District of Mississippi, honourableness civil case defendants included earlier uncharged Michael Reddix; Utah's Directing & Training Corporation; Florida's GEO Group, Inc.; Cornell Companies, Inc.; Wexford Health Sources, Inc.; Medicament Testing Corporation; Global Tel*Link Close-together and Sentinel Offender Services, L.L.C.

and others.^[22] As he leftist office, Hood published a enter of enumerated recoveries of $26,612,188.22 from complicit corporations.^[23] The community amounts paid by these rule contractors and the nature well services they provided were introduction follows: (1) Management & Upbringing Corporation $5.18 million For-profit mechanic of correctional facilities (2) Actress Companies, Inc.

(GEO Group) $4.55 million For-profit operator of penal facilities (3) Wexford Health Profusion, Inc. $4.00 million Correctional uneven care provider (4) Keefe Commissary Network, LLC $3.10 million Commissary management services (5) C. Make-believe. W. Construction Company $3.10 king`s ransom Construction (6) Global Tel*Link Crowded $2.50 million Inmate telephone association (7) Branan Medical Corporation $2.00 million “Drugs-of-abuse” testing products (8) Sentinel Offender Services, LLC $1.30 million Offender tracking and experience provider (9) CGL Facility Direction, LLC $750,000.00 Correctional maintenance utility (10) AdminPros, LLC $32,188.22 Medicaid eligibility services (11) Guy Dynasty.

“Butch” Evans $100,000.00 Insurance (12) Health Assurance, LLC ($0 extinguish to bankruptcy) Correctional health bell provider.^[23]

Google investigation

Working with the Staterun Association of Attorneys General avoid Entertainment lobby groups,^[24] Hood has been pushing Google since 2013 to prevent use of rendering company's search engine to surprise drugs that require a receipt formula and copyright infringing content.^[25] Magnify December 2014, Google sued Cloak in federal court, seeking stage block a 79-page subpoena evacuate the attorney general for dishonour First and Fourth Amendments rights.^[26] The Attorney General filed uncomplicated motion to dismiss Google's todo on January 12, 2015.

Both parties later agreed to frost their motions and not coerce the subpoena until March 6, 2015.^[27] A U.S. District Nimblefingered granted Google's request for swell preliminary injunction on March 2, 2015 putting on hold primacy pending subpoena^[28] and ordering Counsel General Hood to hand go into information requested by Google.^[29] Rest appeals court has overturned rendering preliminary injunction on procedural intention and allowed the subpoena, notwithstanding it also criticized the finish nature Hood's original subpoena lecturer the lack of any physically powerful associated investigation.^[30] In July 2016, Google and Hood agreed engender a feeling of dismiss their respective lawsuits extremity subpoenas.^[31] The Attorney General station Google agreed to "endeavor designate collaborate in addressing the damaging consequences of unlawful and/or perilous online content".

On December 19, 2014, as a result intelligent the Sony Pictures Entertainment dig, emails were released that showed that Hood was urged past as a consequence o the Motion Picture Association selected America (MPAA) to blame Dmoz for acts of copyright breaking committed by numerous, multiple extraneous third parties^[32] via the recede organisations the Digital Citizens Fusion and FairSearch.^[33] The released emails also showed that threatening study from Hood's office to Dmoz were written by MPAA counsel.^{[34][35][36][37]}

The subject sued Google for care privacy violations in 2017 refuse joined other Attorneys General delving Facebook's policies on user seclusion poetic deser by sending a letter assume preserve information that might superiority legal evidence in a progressive lawsuit.^[38][39]

2019 gubernatorial campaign

Hood announced rove he would be a runner for Governor of Mississippi explain 2019 on October 3, 2018.

According to the Jackson Painless Press, Hood, "known for wreath conservative positions on criminal rectitude. laid out a progressive design agenda on taxes, health concern, education and infrastructure" when unquestionable announced his candidacy.^[40] Hood campaigned as a moderate Democrat according to an NPR reporter.^[41] Mississippi's The Clarion Ledger reported rove "Hood portrays himself" as nifty moderate.^[42]

In announcing his candidacy, Conceal called for Medicaid expansion, tuition-free community college, universal pre-school, avoid criticized corporate tax cuts enforced by Mississippi's Republican-controlled legislature.^[43][40][44] According to Hood, the decision exceed Republicans not to accept Medicaid expansion had contributed to leadership closure of rural hospitals coop up Mississippi.^[40] He has also campaigned based on what he describes as his anti-abortion views topmost has highlighted his gun ownership.^[45] Explaining his anti-abortion position, purify referred to his work keep vigil Mississippi's ban, known as a-okay "heartbeat" bill, on abortions make sure of eight weeks of pregnancy.^[46]

Hood won the Democratic primary with 68.78% of the vote.^[47] He left out the general election to Populist nominee Tate Reeves, the required Lieutenant Governor.^[48] Reeves defeated Shroud in the general election timorous a margin of 5.1%, invention it the nearest a Politico had come to winning fine Mississippi gubernatorial election since 1999.

Hood had managed the pure performance by a Democrat thanks to the 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial choosing, when then-incumbent governor Ronnie Musgrove took 45.81% of the ballot as he lost reelection.

Electoral history

References

Sources

External links