Emily Wagster Pettus, The Associated Press

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Women represent half of the US. But they sometimes lack clout in budget and tax talks

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Women represent half of the U.S. population but it's still rare for them to have leading roles in setting taxes or budgets in some states.

State Sen. Jenifer Branning wins a Mississippi Supreme Court seat

State Sen. Jenifer Branning wins a Mississippi Supreme Court seat

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- State Sen. Jenifer Branning has won a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court, defeating Justice Jim Kitchens.

State Sen. Jennifer Branning wins a Mississippi Supreme Court seat

State Sen. Jennifer Branning wins a Mississippi Supreme Court seat

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- State Sen. Jenifer Branning has won a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court, defeating Justice Jim Kitchens.

Candidates in tight race for Mississippi Supreme Court as St. Pe' wins Court of Appeals seat

Candidates in tight race for Mississippi Supreme Court as St. Pe' wins Court of Appeals seat

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Amy St. Pe' won an open seat on the Mississippi Court of Appeals on Tuesday, wrapping up one of two runoffs in judicial races between candidates who advanced from the Nov. 5 general election.

St. Pe' wins seat on Mississippi Court of Appeals

St. Pe' wins seat on Mississippi Court of Appeals

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Amy St. Pe' has won an open seat on the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Voters are choosing judges for Mississippi's top courts in runoff elections

Voters are choosing judges for Mississippi's top courts in runoff elections

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi voters were deciding winners for one seat on the state Supreme Court and one on the state Court of Appeals.

Voters will choose judges for Mississippi's top courts in runoff elections

Voters will choose judges for Mississippi's top courts in runoff elections

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi voters will decide winners for one seat on the state Supreme Court and one on the state Court of Appeals.

Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi's felony voting ban is cruel and unusual

Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi's felony voting ban is cruel and unusual

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Mississippi's Jim Crow-era practice of removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent crimes such as forgery and timber theft, attorneys say in new court papers.

Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit

Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A federal appeals court panel incorrectly interpreted federal and state laws when it ruled that Mississippi cannot count mail-in ballots that are cast and postmarked by Election Day but arrive a few days later, two groups argue as they seek a new hearing.

Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says

Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- The Mississippi Senate discriminated against a Black attorney by paying her about half of what her white colleagues were paid for doing the same job, the U.S. Justice Department says in a lawsuit it filed Friday.

Bribery charges brought against Mississippi mayor, prosecutor and council member

Bribery charges brought against Mississippi mayor, prosecutor and council member

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- The mayor of Mississippi's capital city, the top prosecutor in the state's largest county and a Jackson city council member have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in a case that has already forced the resignation of another city council member, according to federal court records unsealed Thursday.

Republican Sen. Wicker wins reelection in Mississippi, defeating Democrat Ty Pinkins

Republican Sen. Wicker wins reelection in Mississippi, defeating Democrat Ty Pinkins

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has defeated Democrat Ty Pinkins, a challenger who received little financial support from his own party in a heavily Republican state.

Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is challenged by Democrat Ty Pinkins

Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is challenged by Democrat Ty Pinkins

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi is trying to extend his 30-year career on Capitol Hill as he faces Democrat Ty Pinkins, a challenger who received little financial support from his own party in a heavily Republican state.

Democrat Ty Pinkins is outspent as he tries to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Wicker in Mississippi

Democrat Ty Pinkins is outspent as he tries to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Wicker in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Democrat Ty Pinkins has jogged along highways and past cotton fields to try to draw attention to his effort to unseat Mississippi's senior Republican U.S. senator, Roger Wicker.

Mississippi legislative leaders advocate Medicaid expansion, heading to conflict with the governor

Mississippi legislative leaders advocate Medicaid expansion, heading to conflict with the governor

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi's Republican legislative leaders said Thursday that they plan to push for Medicaid expansion to cover working people who earn too little to afford private insurance -- a position that business groups have advocated but that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves opposes.

Trump will campaign in Wisconsin with Brett Favre, who's linked to a Mississippi welfare scandal

Trump will campaign in Wisconsin with Brett Favre, who's linked to a Mississippi welfare scandal

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will crisscross several swing states on Wednesday, passing each other in Wisconsin, where the former president is scheduled to appear in Green Bay with a onetime local icon, retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

Mississippi's Republican governor pushes income-tax cut, says critics rely on 'myths'

Mississippi's Republican governor pushes income-tax cut, says critics rely on 'myths'

FLOWOOD, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that legislators should ignore "myths" from opponents who want to block efforts by him and some other Republican leaders to phase out the state's income tax.

Fannie Lou Hamer rattled the Democratic convention with her 'Is this America?' speech 60 years ago

Fannie Lou Hamer rattled the Democratic convention with her 'Is this America?' speech 60 years ago

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Vice President Kamala Harris is accepting the Democrats' presidential nomination Thursday, exactly 60 years after another Black woman mesmerized the nation with a televised speech that challenged the seating of Mississippi's all-white delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

Trial starts in case that seeks more Black justices on Mississippi's highest court

Trial starts in case that seeks more Black justices on Mississippi's highest court

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi has the largest percentage of Black residents in the U.S., but only one Black justice serves on the state's highest court.

Periodic flooding hurts Mississippi. But could mitigation there hurt downstream in Louisiana?

Periodic flooding hurts Mississippi. But could mitigation there hurt downstream in Louisiana?

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Flooding left squishy, stinky messes in hundreds of homes in Mississippi's capital city in 2020 -- a recurring problem when heavy rains push the Pearl River over its banks.

Judge rejects GOP challenge of Mississippi timeline for counting absentee ballots

Judge rejects GOP challenge of Mississippi timeline for counting absentee ballots

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee that sought to block Mississippi from counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after after it.

Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say

Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi can wait until next year to redraw some of its legislative districts to replace ones where Black voting power is currently diluted, three federal judges said Thursday.

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi should work quickly to fulfill the court-ordered redrawing of some legislative districts to ensure more equitable representation for Black residents, attorneys for voting rights groups said in a new court filing Friday.

Mississippi election officials argue against quick work on drawing new majority-Black districts

Mississippi election officials argue against quick work on drawing new majority-Black districts

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Redrawing some Mississippi legislative districts in time for this November's election is impossible because of tight deadlines to prepare ballots, state officials say in new court papers.

Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say

Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Three federal judges are telling Mississippi to redraw some of its legislative districts, saying the current ones dilute the power of Black voters in three parts of the state.

Mississippi erases some restrictions on absentee voting help for people with disabilities

Mississippi erases some restrictions on absentee voting help for people with disabilities

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi is revising the restrictions it put in place last year on who can provide absentee voting assistance to people who have disabilities or cannot read or write -- restrictions that were blocked by a federal judge before ultimately being altered by lawmakers.