Mississippi Center for Justice

Mcj continues to advocate for medicaid expansion, educating elected officials and mississippians on the importance of access to healthcare for nearly 200,000 uninsured mississippians, many of whom are working. Mcj and coalition partners claimed a victory this year, when medicaid postpartum coverage was extended from a mere 60 days to a full year. Mcj donated a waterbox to the boys and girls club of Mississippi as a response to jackson water crisis to ensure children could have access to clean water. Mcj filed a lawsuit challenging hb1020, which was signed into law on april 21, 2023. Mcjs win ensured that there is no longer a lack of a right to appeal in a newly created inferior court, and stopped the unconstitutional appointment of judges which would have stripped jackson residents of their ability to elect judges as set forth in the Mississippi constitution.mcj filed a lawsuit and won a preliminary injunction in federal court against an unconstitutional portion of sb2343 that would have limited the right to protest and organize in jackson. Mcj was also part of a team challenging sb 2358, defeating a law that attempted to limit the universe of those who can help disabled voters cast absentee ballots. Mcj released an extensive report analyzing the impact of covid-19 on 12 public school districts in Mississippi. In the report, mcj found that the enormous challenges of the pandemic compounded many pre-existing inequities in state funding that drastically worsened education outcomes such as test scores and other indicators for students in rural, high-need districts.mississippi's education opportunity gap is ranked 15th in the nation.mcj helped mississippians expunge their criminal records, thereby unlocking new employment and housing opportunities. Since the start of 2022, mcj helped generate over 350 petitions/orders for expungements.