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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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Editor’s Note: The Mississippi Supreme Court did not yet ruled on Robert Shuler Smith’s appeal to vacate his charges for abusing a former girlfriend before his trial starts in Rankin County later this month. During the chaos of our weekly print deadline, the JFP reported earlier that the Supreme Court had ruled against him. In fact, the attorney general submitted his response. We apologize for the error. Watch this space for an updated report, as well as a PDF of the document.