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 In Mississippi, a former teacher was accused last year of using artificial intelligence to create hyperrealistic videos depicting some of his students performing sexual acts.

As artificial intelligence proliferates, such cases are driving states to enact laws regulating and protecting people from its use.

Mississippi currently has two laws dealing with AI, and three more are being proposed. One current law criminalizes creating political deepfakes meant to damage a candidate. The other classifies AI-generated images of children performing sexual acts as child exploitation.

Those being proposed include Senate Bill 2050, authored by Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat from Canton. This measure would mandate political advertisements disclose if AI was used. Another is House Bill 1723, authored by Rep. Jill Ford, a Republican from Madison. It would create a state definition of AI.

But, SB2046 would likely impact everyday Mississippians the most.

Known as the Mississippians’ Right to Name, Likeness and Voice Act, the bill, also authored by Blackmon, would give Mississippians the right to their image, name and voice and would create civil liabilities for unauthorized use. The bill passed the Senate on Feb. 11 and has been referred to the House Judiciary A Committee.

While proposals have been made at the federal level to grant Americans rights and protections against AI, none have become law. In the absence of federal legislation, a growing number of states have enacted laws giving people protections against their identity being used to generate AI content. 

“Senate Bill 2046 reflects a broader national movement toward regulating AI-enabled impersonation, particularly realistic voice cloning and digital replicas,” said Oliver Roberts, who teaches a Mississippi College School of Law course on AI. He is also an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis and co-director of its Law AI Collaborative.

While SB 2046 is modeled heavily after California Assembly Bill No. 2602, other states have also passed similar legislation, including Tennessee, New York, Kentucky and Louisiana.

Roberts said what makes the Mississippi bill distinct is that “it treats a person’s name, likeness, and voice as a form of transferable intellectual property and builds a damages framework around unauthorized digital use.”

Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to promote the AI industry’s growth and prevent state laws from impeding innovation with regulations. However, Roberts thinks that despite tension between states and the federal government around regulating AI, SB 2046 in Mississippi would be an unlikely target for federal intervention.

“Bills like SB 2046 could be challenged based on federal preemption, but it is less likely because these types of bills are not regulating the foundational AI models themselves,” Roberts said.

Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share their ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

The recent passing of Jesse Jackson marks the end of an era in American public life. For more than five decades, the Rev. Jesse Jackson stood on the front lines of the struggle for civil rights, economic justice and human dignity. His voice thundered in pulpits, echoed through protest lines and rang out on debate stages across this nation. Whether one agreed with him politically or not, his impact on American history is undeniable.

He walked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. He founded Operation PUSH and later the Rainbow Coalition, advancing an agenda rooted in fairness, inclusion and opportunity. He ran for president of the United States, not once, but twice, expanding the political imagination of what leadership in America could look like. His campaigns inspired millions, particularly young people and communities long excluded from the political process.

Mississippi knows something about struggle. We know something about courage. And we know something about redemption.

Our state stands on sacred Civil Rights ground. From the Mississippi Delta to Jackson, from Meridian to Philadelphia, history has tested this state in ways few others have experienced. That history includes pain, injustice and resistance, but it also includes resilience, faith and transformation.

The Rev. Jackson’s life intersected with that larger American story. He helped push this nation and states like ours toward a more inclusive democracy. His work opened doors in boardrooms, classrooms, city halls and state capitols. Leaders across generations stand on ground he helped clear.

Honoring him is not about partisanship. It is about acknowledging the arc of history and those who bent it.

As chair of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, I believe it is both appropriate and necessary that the state of Mississippi formally recognize his contributions. I have respectfully called upon Gov. Tate Reeves to order flags across our state to be flown at half-staff in honor of the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.

Flying the flag at half-staff is more than symbolism. It is a public statement of recognition. It tells future generations that when history called, Mississippi did not remain silent. It affirms that we understand the weight of sacrifice and the power of perseverance.

Scripture reminds us in Matthew 25:23: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Jesse Jackson’s life embodied service to faith, to justice and to the enduring promise of America.

At this moment, Mississippi has an opportunity to demonstrate maturity, unity and moral clarity. Lowering the flags would not erase our past. But it would acknowledge that leaders who fought for equality helped shape the freedoms we all share today.

History is always watching how we respond in moments like these.

Let Mississippi respond with dignity. Let us respond with respect. Let our flags fly at half-staff in honor of a man whose life helped move this country forward.

Democrat Kabir Karriem has represented Mississippi  House District 41, covering parts of Lowndes County, since 2016. He is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus.

State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss are off to amazing starts in the young college baseball season. So much to discuss, including the Golden Eagles’ impressive seep through the prestigious Round Rock Classic.

Stream all episodes here.

Business optimism is returning for small and midsize business leaders at the start of 2026, fueling confidence and growth plans.

The 2026 Business Leaders Outlook survey, released in January by JPMorganChase reveals a turnaround from last June, when economic headwinds and uncertainty about shifting policies and tariffs caused some leaders to put their business plans on hold.

Midsize companies, who often find themselves more exposed to geopolitical shifts and policy changes, experienced a significant dip in business and economic confidence in June of 2025. As they have become more comfortable with the complexities of today’s environment, we are seeing optimism rebounding in the middle market nationwide – an encouraging sign for growth, hiring, and innovation. Small businesses, meanwhile, maintained steady optimism throughout 2025, but they aren’t shielded from domestic concerns. Many cited inflation and wage pressures as the top challenges for 2026 and are taking steps to ensure their businesses are prepared for what’s ahead.

“Middle market executives across the Southwest are realistic about the challenges facing their businesses in the year ahead, with labor remaining one of the most significant concerns in the region,” said Diego Gordillo, Southwest Segment Head of Commercial Banking for J.P. Morgan. “Leaders are clear-eyed about the challenges, but positive about company performance and the local economy in the year ahead.”

Overall, both small and midsize business leaders are feeling more confident to pursue growth opportunities, embrace emerging technologies and, in some cases, forge new strategic partnerships. That bodes well for entrepreneurs in Mississippi. Here are a few other key findings from the Business Leaders Outlook about trends expected to drive activity in Jackson this year:

1) Inflation remains the top concern for small business owners. Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, many anticipated a favorable business environment. By June 2025, however, that feeling shifted amid concerns about political dynamics, tariffs, evolving regulations and global economic headwinds.

Going into 2026, 37% of respondents cited inflation as their top concern. Rising taxes came in second at 27% and the impact of tariffs was third at 22%. Other concerns included managing cash flow, hiring and labor costs.

2) For middle market leaders, uncertainty remains an issue. Almost half (49%) of all midsize business leaders surveyed cited “economic uncertainty” as their top concern – even with an improved outlook from a few months ago. Revenue and sales growth was second at 33%, while tariffs and labor both were third at 31%.

3) And tariffs are impacting businesses costs. Sixty-one percent of midsize business leaders said tariffs have had a negative impact on the cost of doing business.

The Jackson City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to confirm RaShall Brackney as the new police chief. But shortly before the vote, after the meeting had been going for nearly an hour, council president Brian Grizzell said he had 35 questions.

“I’m not going to ask them all,” the Ward 4 council member said, teasing the crowd in the packed chamber at City Hall. 

Grizzell then asked Brackney, Mayor John Horhn’s nominee to lead the Jackson Police Department, to explain how she had “rebuilt trust” as chief of the Charlottesville Police Department in Virginia. 

“What specific reforms did you implement there and what measurable results did those reforms produce?” he asked. 

Brackney was hired to lead the force in Virginia in the wake of a 2017 white supremacist rally. But three years after she took the helm in Charlottesville, Brackney was abruptly fired in 2022 by the city manager – a position that doesn’t exist in Jackson city government. Council members did not publicly ask Brackney about this.  

During her Jackson confirmation hearing, Brackney said that as the only Black woman in the Charlottesville department – and its leader – she faced an entrenched culture of racism, sexism and homophobia. But she said she forced the department to be more transparent by posting every use-of-force incident and civilian complaint on the city’s website and hiring an analyst to determine if officers were conducting legal stops. 

“You make the standard clear: Corruption at any level will not exist at this organization, and I am willing to put my life on the line if that’s the case,” she said, describing her stance in Virginia. 

Brackney sued the Charlottesville Police Department over her firing. But the police department said her firing was the result of “chaos and upheaval” in the department and the “ongoing strained relationship between Brackney, City leadership, and community stakeholders,” VPM reported. The lawsuit was dismissed.

Brackney said she fired 10 police officers for inappropriate behavior while she led the department. 

“And I walked back through those doors every day during those investigations,” she added, garnering laughs and claps when she quipped “albeit gun in hand, but nonetheless, I walked back through those doors.” 

Only Ward 1 council member Ashby Foote voted against Brackney’s confirmation. Ward 3 council member Kenneth Stokes phoned into the meeting. 

“She’s much too educated and too charming to be police chief,” Foote told Mississippi Today after the vote. 

Brackney, a Pittsburgh native, spent most of her career as a police officer in the northeastern city. Like in Charlottesville, where she was also an outsider to the department, Brackney is moving to the city to take the reins at the Jackson Police Department – a force some on the council characterized as struggling with hallmarks of internal problems: Cliques, favoritism and low morale. 

In recent weeks, Grizzell’s brother, Vincent Grizzell, alleged that he was forced to resign from his position as an assistant chief in the department for political reasons, WLBT first reported, but he has not elaborated on what those reasons are. 

The disclosure of numerous exhibits by District Attorney Jody Owens as he fights federal bribery charges included FBI documents that contained allegations of corruption at JPD. A former JPD officer, Torrence Mayfield, told FBI agents in a field interview that they should investigate the department. Early last year, he pled guilty to federal charges of making false statements to a firearm dealer. 

Ward 6 council member Lashia Brown-Thomas, a former JPD officer, said during her 25 years in the department, she witnessed unfair promotions. She asked: “What is your plan to make the officer feel like if a promotion opportunity came back again that you would treat them right and be fair?” 

In Brackney’s answers to the council, she pledged to restore trust in the department and eliminate “those things that are cancerous to your culture.” 

One way to do it, she said, was by encouraging professional development and ensuring officers are fairly promoted. 

“What happens if you allow officers to dream big?” she said. 

The council will set Brackney’s salary at its next meeting but the mayor proposed paying her $150,000. Her confirmation comes after Jackson saw a significant decrease in homicides last year. 

But public safety remains a paramount concern for Jacksonians, multiple council members told Mississippi Today. Brackney said collaboration among local law enforcement could improve the perception of Jackson. 

“We all have the same goals,” she said, “to make this community safer … not only just from crime and disorder, but the fear of crime and disorder which is just as true and tangible as the actual data and number.” 

Horhn announced her nomination earlier this month. He selected Brackney from a list of four finalists after a months-long recruiting process that included community listening sessions. She will be the third woman to lead the department. 

“At the end of the day, she is as tough as nails, and I believe her leadership is exactly what Jackson and the citizens need right now,” said Horhn, who has been mayor since July. 

The search process came after Joseph Wade retired as police chief in September. Tyree Jones, the Hinds County sheriff, has been serving as Jackson Police Department’s interim chief since Wade left.

Some council members, including Ward 2’s Tina Clay, had said they preferred an internal candidate, citing Jackson and Missisisppi’s unique culture. Of the mayor’s four finalists, only one – Wendall Watts, an assistant chief who oversees criminal investigations – was an internal candidate. 

Clay asked Brackney if she had reviewed the department’s budget, prompting Brackney to say she was concerned about the department’s $800,000 to $1 million in overtime pay. 

“There is something going on where officers are being tasked in order to meet the needs of this community,” she said. “What is that strain doing to our officers?” 

The police chief sets the vision and direction for the department. When Wade led it, he often credited his leadership with rebuilding the department’s trust in Jackson and in metro-area law enforcement. As evidence, he pointed to JPD’s inclusion on federal task forces fighting violent crime in the city. 

Brackney said she had a similar task at her previous assignment in Charlottesville. 

Months before Brackney was fired in Charlottesville, she disbanded the department’s SWAT team following an internal report that showed officers were engaging in inappropriate behavior. In response, the local police union solicited a survey that showed rank-and-file officers were frustrated with her leadership. 

The survey’s findings were cited by the city manager in an op-ed about his firing of Brackney. She then sued the city for $10 million, citing race and gender discrimination. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2023. 

In recent years, she was also a finalist for Minneapolis police chief, with a local paper there noting that Brackney had a “reform-minded reputation.” 

Brackney holds a Ph.D. in instructional management and leadership and taught at George Mason University with a focus on “on police legitimacy, transparency, and reimagining public safety,” according to a city press release.

Foote said he had wanted to see a police chief who would confront gangs and perpetrators of violence crime in Jackson. 

“I think gangs are the ones that should be fearful of us,” he said.

As Hinds County continues to pay for the long-running problem of overcrowding at the Raymond Detention Center, a new coalition is hoping to convince county supervisors that higher salaries for public defenders could be one solution.

On Tuesday, members of Defend Mississippi – a statewide group receiving support from national criminal justice advocates – gathered in the county board room to make the case for why the Hinds County Board of Supervisors should appropriate $350,000 to the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office. 

The funding infusion would bring starting salaries for public defenders up to $80,000. The coalition argues the raise would lead to less turnover in the public defenders office, leading to faster-moving cases in a criminal justice system where most defendants cannot afford a private attorney. 

“I can tell you plainly, when public defense is properly resourced, the entire system functions,” said CJ Lawrence, an attorney and founder of the media company Black With No Chaser. “Cases move, taxpayers’ money is saved, constitutional rights are protected, communities are stronger.” 

Hinds County has one of the busiest criminal dockets in the state, with attorneys in the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office handling hundreds of cases at once. When they leave the office, another attorney has to take on the case, often requiring additional time to learn the file and resulting in the defendant spending more time in jail. 

Despite their crucial role, public defenders in Hinds County earn virtually half the salaries of their counterparts in the district attorney’s office, about $50,000 less. 

They also earn an average of $20,000 less than their counterparts statewide, according to the preliminary results of a study the Office of the State Public Defender is conducting. 

Why the gap? A huge factor, said State Public Defender Andre de Gruy, is that prosecutors’ salaries are state-funded, while counties must pay for assistant public defenders. 

But the push for more funding from Hinds County comes at a time when the board of supervisors is under pressure from outside entities to fix other persistent issues and finding few solutions that don’t require coughing up county funds. 

These external requests have led some supervisors to feel as if county outsiders – a federal receiver, state lawmakers – have snatched away control of their purse strings. 

Deborah Dixon, the district 3 supervisor who represents western Jackson, said she would love to pay public defenders more. But she insisted the county doesn’t have the money after it pays for the new jail and other obligations created by the Legislature. 

“They’re making new laws, but they ain’t sending new money with the laws,” she said. 

Dixon pointed to last year, whenlawmakers added a fifth judge to the Hinds County Circuit Court, a move mandated by judicial legislative redistricting. 

Dixon said the new judge came with more court employees that Hinds County must pay for, but she did not say how many or which positions. The state-funded Administrative Office of the Courts pays for judicial employees in circuit courts like court administrators, but counties pay for court reporters. 

Another demand on the county’s budget cited by Dixon comes from the board’s decision to build a new jail in an effort to comply with a 2016 federal consent decree to improve unconstitutional conditions at the Raymond Detention Center, including widespread violence, overcrowding and understaffing. 

Supervisors made the call in 2022, originally estimating the new detention center in south Jackson would cost $60 million. The county is still building the jail, with WLBT recently reporting the facility will actually cost $100 million. 

And last fall, a federal receiver finally took over operations of the Raymond Detention Center – including managing the jail’s budget. 

Defend Mississippi argues those factors – particularly the addition of another circuit court judge – mean greater investment in public defenders is necessary. 

But some supervisors say they want solutions that don’t require paying more money.

“You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip,” said District 2 Supervisor Tony Smith, who was out of town the day of the press conference for a membership meeting of national county officials in Washington, D.C. He represents the county’s rural, westernmost district from Bolton to Utica. 

Smith said he is constantly hearing stories of people accused of non-violent offenses sitting in the Raymond jail because they can’t make bond: business burglars, car thieves, check fraudsters and those facing misdemeanor drug charges.

“You’ve got to get some of these people out that don’t need to be in jail,” he said. “Bottom line.” 

Then Smith acknowledged a problem with his own idea, noting that emptying the jail – and saving upwards of $50 per day for each person released – requires the blessing of county and circuit court judges. 

Meanwhile, the county faces a shrinking tax base as Jackson depopulates. 

“How many major grocery stores are in Jackson? You got Kroger, you got Walmart, you got Piggly Wiggly, and Cash and Carry,” Smith said. “I think that’s it. … How many department stores do we have? None. So where is our revenue coming from?” 

Gail Wright Lowery, the head public defender for Hinds County who is appointed by the senior circuit court judge, has requested raises for her staff in the past. 

“I can appreciate and recognize that funds are strained, but I also know that public defense is a smart investment,” she said in a statement shared by Defend Mississippi. “Studies show that across the country, counties that invest in public defense save millions each year because early, effective representation avoids the costs of unnecessary jail time and keeps our citizens working instead of being detained.”

Lawmakers added more support to the office when they passed House Bill 1020, which created the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court and added three state-supported positions to the Hinds County public defender’s office. 

The county previously used federal pandemic relief funds to supplement the salaries of the office’s 11 assistant public defenders. 

But it was a temporary solution. Those funds expired in 2023. Lowery’s subsequent efforts to seek a more permanent solution failed, with supervisors narrowly voting down a $20,000 raise for her staff.

The turnover has a human toll. A few years ago, the State Public Defender’s Office stepped in to fill the court’s backlog. De Gruy, who heads the office, recalled meeting with a man who had been jailed in Raymond for three years. 

“I told three people this story,” de Gruy recalls the man saying, voice laden with frustration. “I’m tired of telling y’all this story.” 

That man’s case was ultimately resolved – de Gruy couldn’t say how, due to attorney-client privilege – but many others weren’t, illustrating the limits of the temporary solution. 

Lowery will submit her request for additional funding at the board’s March 2 meeting. 

Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share their ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

In celebration of America’s 250^th birthday, we must ensure that Mississippi’s students graduate with knowledge of and appreciation for the Declaration of Independence and our state and federal institutions it inspired. Civics knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors are not passed along through the gene pool, but must be built anew with each rising generation of citizens. 

To this end, I am proud to author Senate Bill 2292, legislation that would require civics courses in every public and charter school in Mississippi in order for students to graduate high school. 

Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed SB 2292 with strong bipartisan support. It’s now assigned to both the House Education and Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, and I encourage my House colleagues to put aside “education politics” of the last couple of years and advance it to the House floor, teeing up its passage prior to our adjournment in April. 

Thirty-seven states plus D.C. require stand-alone civics courses for high school graduation, seven of them for a full year. If we pass this bill, beginning with the 2027-28 school year, Mississippi would proudly join this mix.

Civics knowledge is sadly lacking across our citizenry, perhaps most acutely among our students here in Mississippi. Nationally, only 22% of eighth graders achieved proficiency on the most recent NAEP civics assessment — the lowest performance of any tested subject outside U.S. History. For Mississippi students, who largely lack access to a dedicated civics course, the picture is likely no better. Mississippi students deserve better than that national floor.

But the national assessment also showed the power of civics courses.  Eighth graders who experienced a stand-alone civics course performed about 10% better on the NAEP assessment. More broadly, research shows that students who receive a comprehensive civics education are more likely to be informed and engaged voters and citizens.

Specific benefits include a high likelihood among students to talk about current public issues at home, to volunteer and work on community issues, and to complete college and develop employable skills like working collaboratively in a group or giving a public presentation.

SB 2292 elevates civics education above just the basic eighth grade government class. It ensures students will receive instruction on both the Mississippi Constitution and U.S. Constitution; the foundational principles of federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances; appreciation for free speech and civil discourse; and the intersection of these principles in our daily lives.  

The new civics courses will emphasize both historic and modern public debates, building students’ critical thinking skills along the way. This includes the ability to analyze various information sources and determine their reliability. These are not just civic virtues — they are workforce competencies Mississippi urgently needs.

With Mississippi having more than 70,000 job openings and a job openings rate above the national average, the Legislature is already investing in solutions, including new pathways through community colleges to equip workers with skills for high-demand industries. But workforce readiness begins before community college.

A student who graduates high school understanding how institutions work, how to evaluate information, how to present ideas publicly and how to collaborate effectively is a student ready to succeed in those pathways — and to stay in Mississippi to build a career.

Perhaps most importantly, students will emerge with a better understanding of how national, state and local institutions operate. Ultimately, Mississippi graduates will better understand how they can contribute to the civic life of our communities.

Considering average voting participation rates hover around 20% or less in non-presidential elections, having more graduates who understand the importance of voting, and then who actually vote regularly, would be an improvement over the status quo.

Ensuring that our students have the civics education they need to become future knowledgeable and productive citizens should be a priority no matter the politics of our present day. 

Today’s kindergartner will celebrate our semiquincentennial this summer, and will graduate in 2038, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution’s ratification. Let’s ensure that they graduate with the civics knowledge and commitments necessary to sustain and strengthen our democratic republic, here at home in Mississippi and across the country, for another 250 years.

Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins represents District 52 covering south Jackson County, including the cities of Pascagoula, Gautier and Ocean Springs. Wiggins, an attorney, has been serving in the state Senate since 2012.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice David Ishee was unable to qualify for reelection this year because of a federal court order preventing the state from using the existing Mississippi Supreme Court district map in future elections. 

Liz Jonson, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Michael Watson, told Mississippi Today in a statement that Ishee was unable to qualify by the Feb. 2 deadline because U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock issued an August 2025 order that found the state Supreme Court districts violate the federal Voting Rights Act. 

Aycock’s order, which stems from a federal lawsuit where plaintiffs argued that the state’s current Supreme Court districts illegally dilute Black voting strength, enjoined the state from using the existing map in future elections.

But the federal ruling does not mean Ishee, who is elected from south Mississippi, would have to vacate his seat soon. His term doesn’t expire until January 2028, which should give Mississippi lawmakers and the federal court time to adopt a new map.  

Ishee is the only high court justice up for reelection this year, and he was the only candidate who attempted to qualify for the election, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Ishee told Mississippi Today that whenever the Legislature adopts a new map, he intends to run for reelection. 

“I’m definitely running as soon as I get the opportunity,” Ishee said. 

Current state law establishes three distinct Supreme Court districts, commonly referred to as the Northern, Central and Southern districts. Voters elect three judges from each of these districts to make up the nine-member court. 

The Central District, which includes much of the majority-Black Delta and Jackson metro areas, was a central focus of the federal litigation. Aycock ruled that the plaintiffs showed their configuration weakens Black voting strength.

State officials have appealed Aycock’s ruling to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, but they did not ask Aycock to pause lower-court proceedings while the appeal plays out.  

The 5th Circuit, however, did pause its appellate proceedings until the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in the Louisiana v. Callais decision, a case that could upend the Voting Rights Act and redistricting across the country. 

Until the appellate courts rule differently, Aycock’s order barring the state from using the current map remains in effect. Because of that injunction, the secretary of state’s office has concluded that no candidate, including Ishee, may qualify for a seat under the now-unenforceable district boundaries. 

Aycock allowed the Legislature to redraw the districts during its 2026 session, which is currently ongoing. Legislative leaders have advanced placeholder measures to meet legislative deadlines while the Legislature continues negotiations. Lawmakers have not unveiled a new map for the districts. 

Leaders in both chambers have stated that they intend to comply with the federal court’s order, but they have also signaled that they are closely monitoring developments at the U.S. Supreme Court with the Louisiana case. 

Senate Judiciary A Chairman Brice Wiggins, a Republican from Pascagoula who is the lead Senate negotiator on redrawing the court districts, said that he and other lawmakers are moving towards having a new map by the end of the legislative session.

University of Mississippi Medical Center clinics across the state will remain closed and elective procedures are canceled through Wednesday as officials respond to a cyberattack that targeted the state’s only academic medical center.

Patients across Mississippi have missed health care appointments and surgeries since the cyberattack, which occurred Feb. 19 and compromised the health care system’s IT network, forcing the shutdown of computer systems that hold patients’ electronic health records.

The medical center has released few details about when it expects to resume normal operations, how extensive the attack was, what the attacker has demanded or whether any data was compromised. Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for the medical center, confirmed the attacker has made financial demands in a Tuesday interview with SuperTalk. 

“Our highest concern is getting our services back open to be able to take care of our patients,” Woodward said. “But very quickly right after that is the integrity of our patient data.”

Ransomware, or malicious software that holds computer systems or data hostage in demand for a payment, has increasingly targeted health care organizations with the aim of garnering large payouts by disrupting critical infrastructure, said Dr. Christian Dameff, an associate professor and co-director of the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity at the University of California San Diego. 

Recovering hospital computer systems is often a labor and time-intensive process that involves rebuilding infrastructure, patching security gaps and ensuring that infiltrators no longer have access to the system, Dameff said. He said the breach at UMMC appears similar to other sophisticated attacks, which typically take more time to rebuild. 

“It’s not uncommon to see a ransomware attack like this last weeks to months,” Dameff said. He added that the impact of a cyberattack can persist for years after the intrusion. 

A 2020 cyberattack on the University of Vermont Medical Center resulted in the academic medical center losing access to its electronic medical record system for 28 days and cost the system about $65 million, according to Vermont Public. Like the attack on UMMC, it led to canceled health appointments and impeded residents’ access to specialized care.

Ashly Thompson is a Forest resident with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes benign tumors to grow on nerve endings. She underwent surgery at UMMC on Feb. 11 to remove tumors on her arms, legs, face and stomach, a procedure that required a skin graft. 

Thompson was scheduled for follow-up appointments Feb. 19 — the first day of the cyberattack — and the following Wednesday, but both appointments were canceled. On Monday, she told Mississippi Today that her skin was growing over her stitches, a complication that has resulted in infection in the past, and that she had run out of pain medication. 

She went to a separate, local emergency department Monday, but staff told her they could not remove the stitches and recommended she return to her surgeon, which she said caused her anxiety because she did not know when she would be able to have her stitches removed or pain medication refilled. 

UMMC contacted Thompson Tuesday morning to inform her she is scheduled for a post-operative care appointment on Friday as a part of the medical center’s effort to schedule time-sensitive appointments. 

The public hospital system is operating a triage line as of Monday to field calls from patients, such as requests for medication refills or postoperative care visits, according to a hospital social media post. The call line, which can be reached at 601-815-0000, will prioritize time-sensitive needs. 

“Teams are working around the clock to restore full operations and help as many people as quickly as we possibly can,” said the hospital’s statement. 

Large-scale attacks can also affect nearby hospitals that aren’t under attack, creating what Dameff called a cyberattack “blast radius.” His 2021 study of a month-long ransomware attack on a single San Diego hospital found that emergency rooms at two nearby hospitals saw higher patient volumes, longer wait times, more stroke patients and more instances where patients left the hospital without seeing a doctor. 

This is not the first time a cyberattack has affected hospitals in Mississippi. In December, Singing River Health System on the Gulf Coast shut down some computer systems after identifying a “potential cyber incident.” In 2023, separate attacks affected Singing River Health System and OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville.

There are few clear national standards for responding to cyberattacks on health care organizations, Dameff said. Plans for responding to the infiltrations are often not comprehensive enough or drilled in advance, and almost all hospitals struggle during the recovery process. 

Some states have made efforts to increase hospital security against cybersecurity intrusions. In 2024, the New York State Department of Health imposed new cybersecurity regulations for all general hospitals. Maine lawmakers are currently considering legislation that would require hospitals to develop plans for cybersecurity attacks after cyberattacks last summer shut down several Maine hospitals, according to the Maine Wire. 

A comprehensive plan to respond to cybersecurity attacks requires both preventive measures and preparation for the worst, Dameff said. 

“We need to spend time and money trying to prevent these attacks,” he said. “But, we have to prepare for when we go down, because that is inevitable.”

Cyberattackers frequently employ “double extortion” tactics, meaning they demand payment not only to restore access to a hospital’s computer system but also to prevent the release of stolen data, Dameff said. Paying the ransom does not necessarily accelerate the recovery of computer systems, he said, yet organizations sometimes choose to pay in order to avert a potential data breach.

Federal agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have been assisting UMMC in the recovery process. 

UMMC facilities include seven hospitals and 35 clinics statewide, and it operates the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. Roughly 10,000 people work for UMMC, making the health care provider one of the state’s largest employers, and UMMC’s annual budget amounts to about $2 billion. 

Emergency departments at UMMC hospitals in Jackson, Grenada, Madison County and Holmes County remain open, according to a Saturday statement from the hospital. 

The shutdown also disrupted county health departments, which rely on the same electronic health record system. Although the system was taken offline as a precaution, health departments continue to accept patients as usual, said Mississippi State Department of Health spokesperson Greg Flynn.

Christopher Boose, the subject of an October Mississippi Today article whose arm was amputated after he was allegedly denied timely treatment for a broken bone in a Mississippi prison, has settled a federal lawsuit with VitalCore Health Strategies.

Boose, 40, in June sued the Kansas-based company contracted to provide prison health care and reached out to Mississippi Today after the outlet began publishing its Behind Bars, Beyond Care series. The series has documented alleged denial of health care for people in Mississippi prisons. Boose and his attorneys say his story is a case study of how routine injuries in prison escalate into permanent harm.

For Boose, a one-year sentence for a Drug Court infraction became a lifetime sentence as an amputee after he fell off his bunk bed and developed sepsis at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, the Newton County man said in interviews and in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi. Boose said he was denied treatment for a week, as sepsis spread through his arm and doctors had to amputate it after he almost died.

READ MORE: Cruel and unusual? Untreated broken arm in a Mississippi prison results in amputation

A VitalCore spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the settlement or the issues raised in the lawsuit.

Boose sought $5 million in damages in his initial complaint. He said he signed a nondisclosure agreement that precludes him from revealing how much he received from the settlement. But the 40-year-old Newton County man, who has been unable to work since leaving prison missing an arm, said the settlement was a relief. 

“I’m blessed,” Boose said.

In his lawsuit against VitalCore, Boose argued that systemic neglect gave way to “cruel and unusual punishment,” which violates the Eighth Amendment under the Constitution.

Based on recent legal data, Boose’s settlement could be an outlier. In 2024, Business Insider examined nearly 1,500 cases in federal appellate courts that involved Eighth Amendment claims. The news outlet found that only 1% of prisoner claims succeed, with almost half failing to meet the strict deliberate-indifference standard. 

In February of 2023, Boose, a Mississippi State University graduate and former Wells Fargo employee, was arrested for violating the terms of a Drug Court program. He was sentenced in Newton County Circuit Court to complete alcohol and drug treatment in prison, a sentence designed to be a one-year rehabilitative term, his attorney said.

But when Boose arrived for his sentence, it took months before he received any of the drug treatment mandated by the judge, he said in an interview.

On Dec. 15, 2023, Boose took a shower and returned to his cot in “quickbed” — a unit where inmates sleep on bunk beds in dormitory-style housing. While climbing up to his bed, he slipped and fell onto the floor, his side bearing the brunt of the impact.

Over the next week after his fall, Boose’s arm started to swell. He said he repeatedly asked for help, to no avail. As the swelling worsened, he periodically lost consciousness, prompting other inmates to ask guards for help on his behalf. 

Boose believes he would have died had it not been for a routine sweep by an officer with a dog searching for drugs. The officer saw the state of Boose’s arm and urged prison officials to take him to the hospital. Once there, doctors found “massive tissue and muscle damage from the bacterial infection” caused by the delay in treating Boose’s broken arm, his attorneys wrote in the complaint. His arm was amputated at the shoulder.

House Corrections Chairwoman Becky Currie, a Republican from Brookhaven, has highlighted Mississippi Today’s report on Boose at legislative hearings and while advocating for House Bill 1740. The bill would require prisons to give prisoners access to communal kiosks where they could request medical attention. That bill died, but other measures to ensure prisoners receive necessary medical care are still alive in the 2026 legislative session.

“We don’t want people in a jail cell for one year to fall off a bunk accidentally, get no help and lose his arm,” Currie said. “It’s time for this to stop.”