New at Reason: Radley Balko on the Return of Steven Hayne

August 3, 2009

Last year, Mississippi officials announced that disgraced medical examiner Steven Hayne would no longer be performing autopsies in the state. Hayne had come under fire for his impossible workload, his dubious court testimony, and his role in two murder convictions later overturned by DNA testing.

In a Reason exclusive, senior editor Radley Balko reports that Mississippi's coroners and prosecutors are currently planning a rebellion. Armed with a state attorney general's opinion issued last month, they're trying to repurpose an antiquated state law to justify bringing Hayne back.

Read all about it here.

Comments

|8.3.09 @ 12:45PM|#

The snippet on main page needs correcting. Stay on them, Radley.

|8.3.09 @ 12:48PM|#

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood-himself a former district attorney who has previously used Hayne's services

Elected position. (Democrat) Wonder if it'll come up in a re-election campaign at all, possibly in depressing ways.

Commissioner of Public Safety Steve Simpson announced last August that Hayne's name would be removed from the state's list of medical examiners approved to conduct autopsies in Mississippi....
Attorney General Hood's boundary-redrawing decision was slammed by Commissioner of Public Safety Simpson.

Appointed position. Appointed by Haley Barbour, Governor. (Republican)

|8.3.09 @ 12:48PM|#

Yes, sadly this is not a one time fight. The establishment is fighting back, Radley continues to do the necessary work. Good job.

Xeones|8.3.09 @ 12:54PM|#

That's what "Dr." Hayne looks like? What's the German word for "face in need of a steel-toed boot to the temple" again?

lunchstealer|8.3.09 @ 12:58PM|#

AGHK!

He's like the roach that won't squish. Which his supporters probably think is a good thing...

|8.3.09 @ 12:59PM|#

Mr. Balko, thanks for latest depressing (but not surprising) news from Mississippi.

Xeones|8.3.09 @ 1:02PM|#

Fuck Mississippi, dudes. Seriously.

Warty|8.3.09 @ 1:02PM|#

This looks too depressing to read.

Also, he looks like Toby Radloff.

Warty|8.3.09 @ 1:04PM|#

X: Backpfeifengesicht.

Xeones|8.3.09 @ 1:05PM|#

No, that's not it.

thoreau|8.3.09 @ 1:05PM|#

Fight the good fight, Radley. We need you.

Warty|8.3.09 @ 1:09PM|#

Steven Hayne gives advice on breakfast cereals.

Meta4|8.3.09 @ 1:15PM|#

I think he looks like Bill Gates.

NotThatDavid|8.3.09 @ 1:36PM|#

He looks like an evil son of a bitch. It's mostly by definition, though.

|8.3.09 @ 1:43PM|#

Xeones,

Yes, it is:

back·pfeif·en·ge·sicht

-noun (German)
1. A face that cries out for a fist in it.

|8.3.09 @ 2:01PM|#

It is both befuddling and encouraging that in a place where a person can easily plunk down 3600bucks for a Barret .50, that assholes like this don't lower average life expectancy in the U.S.

|8.3.09 @ 2:06PM|#

Thanks Mississippi. We'll never fall below 49th. In anything.

|8.3.09 @ 2:08PM|#

"Coroners", not "Corners", makes it sound like some crazy Flatland thing.

|8.3.09 @ 2:10PM|#

And, here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
They're guarding all the bastions with their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused the trial is always short
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of...

Paul|8.3.09 @ 2:10PM|#

"They're unresponsive. They won't allow anyone in the room while they're doing autopsies. They won't let any county officials talk to the medical examiner."

That's a feature, not a bug, gentlemen.

No Name Guy|8.3.09 @ 2:47PM|#

Two words on the attempt to get this clown doing autoposies again:

Fucking. Amazing.

Keep up the word Radley. At some point, shame will take over these bastards that want to bring back Hayne.

lunchstealer|8.3.09 @ 2:55PM|#

Don't worry Arkansas, if Mississippi manages to climb out of the basement in anything, South Carolina will be there to fill in for them.

|8.3.09 @ 3:54PM|#

Those mother fuckers. If that's not prosecutorial misconduct, then what the hell is?

-jcr

Stormy Dragon|8.3.09 @ 4:00PM|#

Suggestion for a new colloquialism to express skepticism about the validity of something:

"That's phonier than a Mississippi coroner"

|8.3.09 @ 8:05PM|#

He's like the roach that won't squish.

I was thinking more of a zombie. Zombie medical examiner - what a concept.

dfd|8.4.09 @ 1:50AM|#

Jesus H.Christ, Mississippi is a fucking shithole. There is no state in the nation I have less interest in visiting than that bastion of corruption.