Cory Maye Denied

In a terse, eight-page decision, Mississippi Circuit Court Judge Michael Eubanks denied all of Cory Maye's arguments for a new trial today. Maye's defense team put forth devastating arguments that Judge Eubanks either dismissed without discussion, or didn't bother to address at all. The few issues he did take the time to discuss read like they came from the pen of a man who'd come to his conclusion before he'd done any anaylsis. I can't believe he sat through the same hearing I did last September.

As I understand it, Maye now gets an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court. After that, he'll start his federal appeals process.

Last Wednesday, incidentally, marked the five-year anniversary of the raid on Maye's home. Five years that he's been in prison. And five years that his kids haven't had a father. It also marked five years since this country's insane drug war unnecessarily took another victim—Officer Ron Jones.

Mississippi likes to pretend it has overcome its ugly history of denying black men a fair crack at justice. The sordid details of this case show that Mississippi still has a very long way to go.

I'll post the decision and have more comment later.