High Court Hears Arguments Over Pardons

Jackson, MS - Attorneys for a group of inmates have told the Mississippi Supreme Court that former Gov. Haley Barbour's pardons are valid.

The Supreme Court was holding a lengthy hearing Thursday on whether the pardons were legal.

Attorney Thomas Fortner says past cases suggest that pardons are not reviewable by the courts.

Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. opened the hearing, saying no decision would be announced Thursday. He did not say when the court might rule.

Attorney General Jim Hood contends that if the people who received pardons from Barbour didn't run ads in daily papers every day for 30 days, or weekly newspapers once a week for five weeks, the pardons are invalid under the state constitution.