Watson Ruling: Why Election Day Must End on Election Day

 The Supreme Court issued its decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee (No. 24-1260) on June 29, 2026. In a 5-4 ruling authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett (joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson), the Court reversed the Fifth Circuit and held that federal election-day statutes do not preempt state laws allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted a few days later.

Mississippi’s law (ballots received up to five business days after Election Day) survives. Similar grace periods in roughly a dozen other states, including California’s seven-day window, are now clearly on solid legal ground.

U.S. Supreme Court Source: Georgia Public Broadcasting / public domain news photo

A case of corruption in Mississippi...

I've talked about Mound Bayou - a small town in Mississippi founded by Black settlers in the late 19th century. Located in the Mississippi Delta region it recently made the news down there for a case of political corruption.

An ex-mayor of Mound Bayou embezzled some municipal owned property and money for a restaurant he opened in a nearby city. Down there it seems the local authorities mainly a state agency and Bolivar county took an interest in this crime.

The former Mayor Kennedy Johnson could fave up to 20 years in jail and $5000 fine per count.

C-SPAN Cities Tour - Jackson: Civil Rights Museum Special Collections

[VIDEO] Another reason to visit Jackson, Mississippi in the future. I've made many trip to the Magnolia State especially to my family's hometown of Mound Bayou, Mississippi in addition to other locales such as Port Gibson, Louisville, Greenville, and Tunica. In addition to at least passing through Vicksburg and Tupelo.

The places I've yet to visit in that state is Hattiesburg which has a family connection, Biloxi, and of course Jackson. A few years ago I had the opportunity to pay a visit to Jackson, however, time constraints nixed that opportunity!

C-Span speaks with Mississippi's Museum Division director of collections Cindy Garner who discusses the many items connected with that state's role in the Civil Rights Movement. So if there is going to be a Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, paying the capital city of Mississippi would be a worthwhile trip.

AP: Mississippi Delta Farmers Suffer in Wake of Flood

[VIDEO] Well I know that there's been flooding along the Mississippi River although this video has little to do with covering the Mississippi. It mentions the Yazoo River especially! Here is an article on the Delta region of Mississippi!

Remember Cory Maye?

Over two years ago I posted a video from Reason about him. He was a convicted murdered who claimed that the police who performed a raid on his home didn't announce themselves as police officers. As a matter of fact the person he murdered was a police officer who was raiding his home.

When you get a chance you should watch the video as there was a gamut of issues discussed. It was an issue of Cory's race and the difference of opinion between white and black on this case was stark. In addition at issue in the drug war.

Well today I see that the Mississippi Supreme Court is going to take up Cory's appeal. Although according to this update by Reason, there isn't a lot of certainty to the outcome of this appeal. No one knows if he is going to be acquitted, remain in jail or even receive a new trial.

Via Instapundit!

Three Mississippi HBCUs could be consolidated

This is news! Alcorn State and Jackson State Universities are rather well known HBCUs. Can't really say that about Mississippi Valley State (MSVU), the only thing I know about that school is that I have two relatives as alumnus from that school.

This almost reminds me of a story out of Georgia, where the state government there wanted to merge public HBCUs not with other public HBCUs, but with other more majority public universities. Unfortunately it's just the sign of the times state governments are stuggling right now. Some states are doing better than others, but in those that aren't doing well, they have to consider consolidating services or cutting them.

That's what was going on in Georgia and Mississippi. The thing is in this article there may be some serious opposition from Alcorn Alumni at least. This story however indicates that these three aforementioned HBCUs will be merged amongst each other. It looks like Jackson State University may have satelite campuses that consist of Alcorn and MSVU campuses. It's just that those two universities will likely have to give up their individual identity, they will no longer have their individual athletic programs.

With Jackson State however, there is one benefit for them:

[Miss. Gov. Haley] Barbour said the mergers will also elevate Jackson State as a premier historically black college and urban university.

But what would that say about Alcorn and MVSU? What about those communities that surround those universities? Jackson State may benefit by acquiring scholars from those other schools and the works of those scholars. Perhaps there will be an increase in enrollment for Jackson State University because what was once three choices is now one. I can't say for certain.

It can be said that some alumni will have some problem with this proposal in spite of this environment:

Although the governor said it will save millions of dollars for the state, some Alcorn students past and present said it'll destroy a priceless legacy. Lawmakers would have to approve the governor's plan to merge the schools before it happens. The governor said the plan may not be popular, but it's necessary to help balance the 2011 budget as revenues continue to fall. "It would be like stripping us of part of our culture and out heritage and our camaraderie," said Alcorn graduate John Smith.

Smith graduated from ASU in 1999. He was a football player. He said news of merger upset him.

"That would kill the legacies left behind by the Steve McNairs, the Walter Peytons, the Issac Holts, the Jerry Rices," Smith said.
...
Universities that could be affected responded to the news.

"The Alcorn State University National Alumni Association will vehemently oppose any proposal that will include the merger of our beloved Alcorn State University," said ASU National Alumni Association president James McDonald.

"We will fight against merger and closure and will work to secure the funding and support necessary to keep it independent and healthy while honoring its mission," said Friends of the W.

The choices states have to make in this environment. Especially in terms of financial viability. This will have to be either cut or consolidated. There would be much help from Uncle Same right now. As a result three historic Black colleges may have their futures altered thanks to this current financial environment.

After Labor Day excursion

I was in Mississippi from Wednesday until Friday night. This was more or less an excursion to record some of my roots, well family roots.

In fact most of my grandparents had some roots in Mississippi, but both of my parents were from Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Basically I took video footage of the rural areas where my dad's family resided. There's no one there now and no structures that I would have recognized from the times that we have been out there in the past. Also those lands had been sold off a few years ago.

Apparently my mother and grandmother found a significant part of their family roots. Further East along Mound Bayou Road which is paved to a certain point and then unpaved towards the Sunflower River is a road, Lombardy go north, and you will find evidences of woodenshacks (quarters for either slaves or workers) then a big mansion that may have been a focal point for a significant plantation. I got it all on video tape even the name of a previous owner made of metal and stuck in the dirt (to be sure I'm not sure what you would call it, but it had the man's name on it).

This man my grandmother often referred to as a nice man. Another man who her father (my great-grandfather) had to deal with she referred to as nasty. The name I saw in front of that "plantation" rang a bell as it seemed that she only knew his last name, but there was a first name as well now and that rang a bell as well. Apparently this area (again across the Sunflower River) was where my grandmother was born so many years ago.

Also before we left on Friday night we arrived back in Memphis where we waited to take a train back to Chicago. We saw a gentrifying area of town that apparently once upon a time was home to a significant low income population. Mostly black at that, but these days it's home to new condo development and boutiques and home to Memphis' trolleys.

The station, Central Station was once a significant rail terminal but since the days of major rail traffic has passed it's home to condos, retail, Amtrak, a city bus terminal, and a police station. This could have been the terminal where people could have taken a train directly to Mound Bayou had there been not only demand for service, but if there were actually still train tracks into town.

Also in the immediate area was the National Civil Rights Museum. It seems to me that most of the facade of the former Lorraine Motel was razed and around it was a musuem with exhibits within the structure of the hotel. In addition to that there are old signs all around this place, signs that are hard to come by these days. Across the street the buildings where the shots that killed Dr. Martin Luther King was fired. Today you can go up and visit one of those buildings where the shots were allegedly fired there is a museum exhibit up that way as well.

BTW, there is a protester there. She apparently was upset about being forced out of the motel years ago. She believes this monument to Dr. King is a disgrace to his memory. There is even a count of how long she has been out there, approximately 21 years.

Well I'll talk more about her later, I never talked to her but I should have. At that there were others who were interested in what she was demonstrating against, but at the same time decided that she was a nut not worth talking to.

Certainly there are several posts to be issued here that includes pictures and video(s) so stay tuned for the sharing here!