Justices reject county's appeal over woman's time in jail
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected a Mississippi county's appeal in the case of a woman who was jailed for more than three months without seeing a judge.
The court's order on Monday leaves in place a federal judge's ruling that Choctaw County and its sheriff are liable for violating the woman's constitutional rights. A jury trial to determine damages is scheduled for March.
The woman was held for 96 days before she was given the opportunity to post bail. She had been arrested on traffic charges and was then served with a drug indictment.
A survey of Mississippi jails released this year found 2,500 defendants jailed before trial have been in custody 90 or more consecutive days. More than 600 defendants have been in jail longer than a year.
