THE GREENWOOD COMMONWEALTH - Tim Kalich
Candidate wants separate court for business issues
7 July 2007
| Delbert Hosemann thinks the most practical way to reduce the backlog in Mississippi's circuit courts is to create a separate business court. According to Hosemann, who has practiced business law for 35 years, it can take as long as four years for a case to come to trial in some of the state's jurisdictions. The delays, he said, are largely caused by an expanding number of criminal cases. "In dockets in which they have a high criminal case load, the business cases typically get moved back," he said. Last year, the state's circuit courts handled about 50,000 cases, split almost evenly between civil and criminal matters. Of the civil caseload, matters of business law, such as contractual disputes, constituted about 40 percent of the total. Hosemann said he envisions a business court system that would include the addition of about 10 judges, spread geographically around the state. Although he provided no cost estimates, he said it could be funded through higher filing fees. Charles Swayze Jr., a former Leflore County prosecuting attorney, said he liked what he heard from Hosemann. The criminal docket, Swayze said, "is going to get more and more crowded." Creating a business court to relieve the strain, he said, "is an excellent idea, if they can get it done." Hosemann also said that in light of a recent federal judge's decision to allow the Democratic Party to restrict who votes in its primaries, the momentum is building for Mississippi to require voters to produce identification at the polls. U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper Jr., in ordering the state to institute a "closed primary" system, said the Legislature will have to pass laws to require voter ID as well as a statewide reregistration. "It is the most dramatic change we've had in Mississippi since the 1965 Civil Rights Act," Hosemann said. Although parts of Pepper's decision, including the ID requirement, are being appealed, Hosemann said he would not be surprised to see Republican Gov. Haley Barbour call a special session to address voter ID following the Aug. 7 primaries. Previous efforts in the Senate to pass a voter ID law have been blocked by the Democratically controlled House. Hosemann supports voter ID. He said he expects most voters would use their driver's license to provide identity, but there would also need to be provisions in the law for other forms of identification for voters without driver's licenses. Hosemann is one of four Republican candidates seeking to replace outgoing Secretary of State Eric Clark. The other main GOP challengers are state Rep. Mike Lott of Petal and former Columbus Mayor Jeffrey Rupp. |