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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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Mayor Frank Melton’s trial is postponed until January. Credit: Hinds County Mugshot

The thrice-delayed federal civil rights trial of Mayor Frank Melton and bodyguard Michael Recio kicked off Monday in the federal courthouse in downtown Jackson for the destruction of a private home in August 2006, a story first reported by the Jackson Free Press. The court summoned 100 potential jurors from the southern district in Mississippi. Questioning of the jurors started today and will continue for about three days. Opening statements are expected to happen late this week with the trial taking up to three weeks.

For a full archive of stories related to this case, as well as other Melton controversies, see the JFP’s Melton archive/blog here.

Previous Comments

They haven’t created a gag that can fill that big mouth, so jury selection might take some time…

#143211 | Author: Brian C Johnson | Date: Feb 3 2009

Just saw on the Ledge’s website that one juror was dismissed because she believed Melton is innocent. In other words, her mind was already made up that she would find him innocent. The juror is from Foxworth, near Columbia. Being from Foxworth, I’m willing to believe that she gets only the sanitized version of Melton and not digging in depth to what he’s really about.

#143225 | Author: golden eagle | Date: Feb 3 2009

Frank Melton and Recio have been charged with violating the homeowner and the tenant of the home civil rights. Civil rights charges and criminal charges are two different things. We all have rights including criminals guaranteed by the Constituition. Frank Melton violate the rights of these two because all of us is not aware of our rights as citizen. He counted on all us not being well informed.

#143326 | Author: daw | Date: Feb 5 2009

Can’t the Judge move this trial to Olive Branch or somewhere. What are the chances of seating an impartial jury? Just about nil if the press is to be believed.

#143331 | Author: Razor | Date: Feb 6 2009

MFP Solutions Lab logo

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.