Mississippi Today
As one Jackson State president resigns, another is still suing the university and IHL
As one Jackson State president resigns, another is still suing the university and IHL
William Bynum Jr.’s lawsuit against Jackson State University and the Institutions of Higher Learning is still open more than three years after the former university president, who had been arrested in a prostitution sting, resigned his post.
The lawsuit, delayed in Hinds County Circuit Court, has dragged on long enough to see Bynum’s replacement, Thomas Hudson, tender his own resignation. Hudson is the third consecutive Jackson State president to resign, but unlike his predecessors, the public has not been told why Hudson stepped down.
In a March 2020 complaint, Bynum alleged that a provision in his contract assured that he could stay at Jackson State as “a full professor, and with tenure,” in the College of Education with a salary 110% that of the highest-paid faculty member. But Jackson State and IHL “failed or refused to permit” that to happen, his initial complaint alleges.
A month after Bynum filed suit, Jackson State terminated him as full professor. Jackson State and IHL have countered that Bynum was an at-will employee who had never been granted tenure at Jackson State.
A message left for the Winfield Law Firm, which is representing Jackson State and IHL, was not returned. Bynum’s lawyer Dennis Sweet III, said he intends to keep pursuing the case.
“If you look at the contract, we win,” Sweet said. “It’s not even a contest.”
The lawsuit provides a look into how IHL resolves the resignations of its presidents, a process that is typically hidden from the public view due to an exemption for “personnel records” from the state’s public records law.
For instance, IHL recently denied Mississippi Today’s records request for Hudson’s resignation letter, citing the exemption. The board could release these documents with Hudson’s permission, but a board spokesperson said that has not been granted. It’s unclear if the board asked for it.
Bynum was appointed Jackson State’s president in the summer of 2017 after serving as president of Mississippi Valley State University for about four years. He was not a popular pick. Members of a search committee that had been tasked with interviewing candidates did not invite Bynum back for a second interview. The board’s announcement of his selection inspired several Black lawmakers to file a lawsuit to prevent his appointment.
But Bynum became Jackson State’s president anyway. He was paid a $300,000 annual salary from the state of Mississippi, plus an annual $75,000 bonus from the JSU foundation. He was also appointed full professor – a perk all university presidents in Mississippi get – with the possibility of receiving tenure after five years as president, according to IHL board policy.
Bynum’s lawsuit alleges that perk was supposed to outlast his employment as Jackson State president. A clause attached to Bynum’s contract read: “In the event the Employee resigns or is terminated as President of Jackson State University, but remains employed with the institutions as a professor, Employee’s salary as a full professor shall be 110% of the highest faculty salary on the Jackson campus of Jackson State University.”
The clause also noted that “the Board will consider an application for tenure as a full professor in the Department of Education, Human Development, and Humane Letters in the College of Education at Jackson State University.”
After Bynum resigned following his arrest in February 2020, he sent an email on Feb. 14 to IHL Commissioner Alfred Rankins and the IHL board members notifying them of his intent to remain at JSU as a faculty member, according to the lawsuit. Bynum noted that he had served as a university president for a total of 6.5 years, most of that at MVSU.
On Feb. 18, 2020, Sweet followed up with a letter to Rankins.
“While it is understandable that you might wish Dr. Bynum to refrain from being physically present on the JSU campus until his pending legal issues are resolved, he may still serve JSU in other capacities while not physically present on campus,” he wrote.
Sweet suggested that Bynum could teach classes virtually or at the off-campus e-Center. Or Bynum could help staff dissertation committees for the College of Education, which Sweet claimed lacked faculty qualified for that task.
Sweet added that should IHL “fail to honor” Bynum’s contract, he believed Bynum was entitled to damages due in part to his health issues.
“In my many years of practice, this is without a doubt a case warranting punitive damages,” Sweet wrote, “especially considering the IHL’s poorly written and contradictory policies.”
Any email reply from Rankins or IHL was not included in Bynum’s exhibits in the lawsuit. But in joint court filings, Jackson State and IHL have alleged that as government entities, they can’t be sued for a contractual breach under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. They further argue that Jackson State can’t be sued because it was not party to Bynum’s contract.
Near the end of 2021, Bynum asked the court to rule in his favor without trial. Jackson State and IHL, in a Nov. 23 motion asking the court to dismiss the suit, argue that Bynum has no evidence of receiving tenure or being entitled to it.
“Despite his voluntary resignation from the position for which he was hired (president of JSU), Bynum now complains of his termination from a position (professor) for which he had no contractual or other right,” Jackson State and IHL argue. “Bynum’s claims all miss the mark.”
A judge has yet to rule on the motions, and the case is scheduled for a docket call on March 29.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Mississippi River flooding Vicksburg, expected to crest on Monday
Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said Friday floodwaters from the Mississippi River, which have reached homes in and around Vicksburg, will likely persist until early May. Elfer estimated there areabout 15 to 20 roads underwater in the area.
“We’re about half a foot (on the river gauge) from a major flood,” he said. “But we don’t think it’s going to be like in 2011, so we can kind of manage this.”
The National Weather projects the river to crest at 49.5 feet on Monday, making it the highest peak at the Vicksburg gauge since 2020. Elfer said some residents in north Vicksburg — including at the Ford Subdivision as well as near Chickasaw Road and Hutson Street — are having to take boats to get home, adding that those who live on the unprotected side of the levee are generally prepared for flooding.



“There are a few (inundated homes), but we’ve mitigated a lot of them,” he said. “Some of the structures have been torn down or raised. There are a few people that still live on the wet side of the levee, but they kind of know what to expect. So we’re not too concerned with that.”
The river first reached flood stage in the city — 43 feet — on April 14. State officials closed Highway 465, which connects the Eagle Lake community just north of Vicksburg to Highway 61, last Friday.

Elfer said the areas impacted are mostly residential and he didn’t believe any businesses have been affected, emphasizing that downtown Vicksburg is still safe for visitors. He said Warren County has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to secure pumps and barriers.
“Everybody thus far has been very cooperative,” he said. “We continue to tell people stay out of the flood areas, don’t drive around barricades and don’t drive around road close signs. Not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous.”
NWS projects the river to stay at flood stage in Vicksburg until May 6. The river reached its record crest of 57.1 feet in 2011.




This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Mississippi Today
With domestic violence law, victims ‘will be a number with a purpose,’ mother says
Joslin Napier. Carlos Collins. Bailey Mae Reed.
They are among Mississippi domestic violence homicide victims whose family members carried their photos as the governor signed a bill that will establish a board to study such deaths and how to prevent them.
Tara Gandy, who lost her daughter Napier in Waynesboro in 2022, said it’s a moment she plans to tell her 5-year-old grandson about when he is old enough. Napier’s presence, in spirit, at the bill signing can be another way for her grandson to feel proud of his mother.
“(The board) will allow for my daughter and those who have already lost their lives to domestic violence … to no longer be just a number,” Gandy said. “They will be a number with a purpose.”
Family members at the April 15 private bill signing included Ashla Hudson, whose son Collins, died last year in Jackson. Grandparents Mary and Charles Reed and brother Colby Kernell attended the event in honor of Bailey Mae Reed, who died in Oxford in 2023.
Joining them were staff and board members from the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the statewide group that supports shelters and advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 2886 to form a Domestic Violence Facility Review Board.
The law will go into effect July 1, and the coalition hopes to partner with elected officials who will make recommendations for members to serve on the board. The coalition wants to see appointees who have frontline experience with domestic violence survivors, said Luis Montgomery, public policy specialist for the coalition.
A spokesperson from Gov. Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Establishment of the board would make Mississippi the 45th state to review domestic violence fatalities.
Montgomery has worked on passing a review board bill since December 2023. After an unsuccessful effort in 2024, the coalition worked to build support and educate people about the need for such a board.
In the recent legislative session, there were House and Senate versions of the bill that unanimously passed their respective chambers. Authors of the bills are from both political parties.
The review board is tasked with reviewing a variety of documents to learn about the lead up and circumstances in which people died in domestic violence-related fatalities, near fatalities and suicides – records that can include police records, court documents, medical records and more.
From each review, trends will emerge and that information can be used for the board to make recommendations to lawmakers about how to prevent domestic violence deaths.
“This is coming at a really great time because we can really get proactive,” Montgomery said.
Without a board and data collection, advocates say it is difficult to know how many people have died or been injured in domestic-violence related incidents.
A Mississippi Today analysis found at least 300 people, including victims, abusers and collateral victims, died from domestic violence between 2020 and 2024. That analysis came from reviewing local news stories, the Gun Violence Archive, the National Gun Violence Memorial, law enforcement reports and court documents.
Some recent cases the board could review are the deaths of Collins, Napier and Reed.
In court records, prosecutors wrote that Napier, 24, faced increased violence after ending a relationship with Chance Fabian Jones. She took action, including purchasing a firearm and filing for a protective order against Jones.
Jones’s trial is set for May 12 in Wayne County. His indictment for capital murder came on the first anniversary of her death, according to court records.
Collins, 25, worked as a nurse and was from Yazoo City. His ex-boyfriend Marcus Johnson has been indicted for capital murder and shooting into Collins’ apartment. Family members say Collins had filed several restraining orders against Johnson.
Johnson was denied bond and remains in jail. His trial is scheduled for July 28 in Hinds County.
He was a Jackson police officer for eight months in 2013. Johnson was separated from the department pending disciplinary action leading up to immediate termination, but he resigned before he was fired, Jackson police confirmed to local media.
Reed, 21, was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Water Valley to live with her grandparents and help care for her cousin, according to her obituary.
Kylan Jacques Phillips was charged with first degree murder for beating Reed, according to court records. In February, the court ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial, according to court documents.
At the bill signing, Gandy said it was bittersweet and an honor to meet the families of other domestic violence homicide victims.
“We were there knowing we are not alone, we can travel this road together and hopefully find ways to prevent and bring more awareness about domestic violence,” she said.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Mississippi Today
Court to rule on DeSoto County Senate districts with special elections looming
A federal three-judge panel will rule in coming days on how political power in northwest Mississippi will be allocated in the state Senate and whether any incumbents in the DeSoto County area might have to campaign against each other in November special elections.
The panel, comprised of all George W. Bush-appointed judges, ordered state officials last week to, again, craft a new Senate map for the area in the suburbs of Memphis. The panel has held that none of the state’s prior maps gave Black voters a realistic chance to elect candidates of their choice.
The latest map proposed by the all-Republican State Board of Election Commissioners tweaked only four Senate districts in northwest Mississippi and does not pit any incumbent senators against each other.
The state’s proposal would keep the Senate districts currently held by Sen. Michael McLendon, a Republican from Hernando and Sen. Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, in majority-white districts.
But it makes Sen. David Parker’s district a slightly majority-Black district. Parker, a white Republican from Olive Branch, would run in a district with a 50.1% black voting-age population, according to court documents.
The proposal also maintains the district held by Sen. Reginald Jackson, a Democrat from Marks, as a majority-Black district, although it reduces the Black voting age population from 61% to 53%.
Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Michael Watson, and Attorney General Lynn Fitch comprise the State Board of Election Commissioners. Reeves and Watson voted to approve the plan. But Watson, according to meeting documents, expressed a wish that the state had more time to consider different proposals.
Fitch did not attend the meeting, but Deputy Attorney General Whitney Lipscomb attended in her place. Lipscomb voted against the map, although it is unclear why. Fitch’s office declined to comment on why she voted against the map because it involves pending litigation.
The reason for redrawing the districts is that the state chapter of the NAACP and Black voters in the state sued Mississippi officials for drawing legislative districts in a way that dilutes Black voting power.
The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, are likely to object to the state’s newest proposal, and they have until April 29 to file an objection with the court
The plaintiffs have put forward two alternative proposals for the area in the event the judges rule against the state’s plans.
The first option would place McLendon and Blackwell in the same district, and the other would place McLendon and Jackson in the same district.
It is unclear when the panel of judges will issue a ruling on the state’s plan, but they will not issue a ruling until the plaintiffs file their remaining court documents next week.
While the November election is roughly six months away, changing legislative districts across counties and precincts is technical work, and local election officials need time to prepare for the races.
The judges have not yet ruled on the full elections calendar, but U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick said at a hearing earlier this month that the panel was committed have the elections in November.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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