Mississippi’s embarrassment…and the end of Jim Hood’s career.  Our sources on the ground tell us that this episode is not quite over for Jim Hood.  From Legal News Line:

With a major campaign donor preparing to go off to federal prison for five years, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Friday justice had been served.

Famed plaintiffs attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs has long been a supporter of Hood, and the two were accused of a very close working relationship in Hurricane Katrina cases by federal prosecutors.

Scruggs accepted a five-year prison sentence Friday, more than three months after pleading guilty to a judicial bribery scheme in a dispute over attorneys fees. Fellow conspirator Sidney Backstrom received a 28-month sentence.

“It’s a sad day for the judicial system of our state,” Hood said. “No one wins in such situations, but by these sentences and the earlier convictions, justice has been served.

“Hopefully, our system has been strengthened, not weakened, and we can move forward to better serve the citizens of Mississippi.”

Hood received his share of criticism for not pursuing state charges against Scruggs and another campaign contributor who pleaded guilty to a judicial bribery scheme in January, Joey Langston. Hood has said that prosecuting them would be like charging a member of his family with a crime and deferred to local district attorneys.

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