Mike Hurst visited Columbus Tuesday in his new role as the head of the Mississippi Justice Institute. Hurst, a former federal prosecutor who lost his bid for the state attorney general’s office in 2015, is a staff of one for the new organization, which is the litigation arm of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank that’s been around for almost a quarter-century.
The MJI is one of many advocacy organizations that regularly take up causes you might say would otherwise fall between the cracks.
These groups are widely viewed as politically motivated yet in many cases, the work they do has nothing to do with the never-ending culture wars that rage without real resolution and everything to do with defending citizens from government overreach, secrecy or other forms of bad behavior.
We found this to be true of the MJI as Hurst discussed the cases he has taken up during the organization’s first year.
A disclaimer: Hurst is representing The Dispatch before the Mississippi Supreme Court in an appeal by the Columbus mayor and city council to a Open Meeting Act violation by the state’s ethics commission. The case involves a complaint filed by a former Dispatch reporter over a pair of non-quorum meetings held in 2014.
We do not believe government transparency and accountability are ideological/partisan matters.
Neither does Hurst, apparently.
Hurst is also involved in a similar case in Lauderdale County. He is also involved in a case demanding that the state’s department of revenue release details of its agreement with Amazon on the collection of state sales taxes owed on internet sales, arguing that agreements involving the people’s taxes are public records.
In all three cases, we believe, Hurst is performing a real service to the people of the state — all people, not just those whose politics align with the MJI’s parent organization.
In addition, Hurst’s involvement in arguing for two Jackson men who each wanted to start taxi businesses, but were denied that opportunity by archaic and unfair regulations is something people can embrace regardless of their political leanings. While Hurst has argued the causes of those who feel their religious rights have been attacked in two cases, neither appear to be hyper-political.
Certainly, there are legal organizations from the left, too, that engage in local issues. For many people, these groups provide legal services and support that would otherwise be unavailable and ultimately favor the status quo, whatever it happens to be, fair or unfair.
To the extent that groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and, now, the MJI, address these real needs rather than promote a political or ideological agenda, they provide a valuable service.
We welcome those efforts because they provide a real benefit to our people, regardless of their political preferences.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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