WikiMini

Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Established1991
President and CEODouglas Carswell
BudgetRevenue: $763,000
Expenses: $842,000
(FYE September 2023)[1]
SubsidiariesMississippi Justice Institute
Address520 George Street, Jackson, MS 39202
Location
Jackson, Mississippi
Websitewww.mspolicy.org

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) is a free-market, conservative think tank located in Jackson, Mississippi. MCPP generally advocates for lower taxes, fewer government regulations, and free-market economics.[2][3]

In January 2021, Douglas Carswell was appointed as the president and CEO.[4][5][6]

Mississippi Justice Institute

[edit]

The institute has a legal arm called the Mississippi Justice Institute.

In 2018, Aaron Rice became Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute.[citation needed] Former Directors include Shad White,[citation needed] who went on to become State Auditor of Mississippi, and D. Michael Hurst Jr., who became United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.[7]

In 2016, when the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Mississippi's public charter schools, the Mississippi Justice Institute intervened on behalf of parents whose children attend these charter schools. In 2019, the Supreme Court of Mississippi ruled in favor of charter school students and MJI, allowing charter schools to continue to receive taxpayer funding.[8]

The Mississippi Justice Institute has filed multiple lawsuits challenging occupational licensing laws. In 2016 they filed suit on behalf of a taxicab driver and an Uber driver in Jackson, Mississippi, comparing the city's regulations on taxi cab companies to Jim Crow laws.[9] In 2019, Mississippi Justice Institute sued the Mississippi Department of Cosmetology on behalf of Dipa Bhattarai, an eyebrow threader whose business was closed because she did not have the required occupational license.[10] In 2020, MJI sued the Mississippi Department of Health on behalf of Donna Harris who was providing weight loss advice for clients. The state argued that she could not do that because she wasn't a registered dietician.[11][12]

In the spring of 2020, the Mississippi Justice Institute filed two lawsuits against two mayors concerning COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions. Mississippi Justice Institute sued the city of Jackson, Mississippi after Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued an executive order restricting the right to openly carry a firearm because of the pandemic.[13] A consent decree prohibits the city from attempting to restrict open carry again.[14] MJI also sued the city of Greenville, Mississippi over an order prohibiting drive-in church services in the city.[15]

Publications

[edit]
  • The High Road to Freedom (2019)[16] - MCPP's policy recommendations.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mississippi Center For Public Policy - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  2. ^ "High Road to Freedom" (PDF). Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
  3. ^ "Our Mission". Mississippi Center for Public Policy. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Brexit leader to head Mississippi Center for Public Policy". WLBT. 5 January 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Douglas Carswell appointed MCPP President & CEO". Mississippi Business Journal. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  6. ^ Willingham, Leah (January 22, 2021). "Brexit leader to head Mississippi public policy center". Associated Press. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Former U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst". www.justice.gov. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  8. ^ Kittredge, Brett (2019-09-05). "Mississippi Supreme Court sides with charter school students". Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  9. ^ Wolfe, Anna (March 2, 2016). "Attorney suing Jackson compares taxi trade, Jim Crow". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  10. ^ Bologna, Giacomo. "She came to Mississippi and started a business. The state cosmetology board shut her down". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  11. ^ "A Mississippi Woman Gave Diet Advice Without a License. The State Threatened To Throw Her in Jail". Reason.com. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  12. ^ The Editorial Board (2020-03-15). "Opinion | Mississippi's Biggest Loser". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  13. ^ Kay, Christana (2020-04-28). "Mayor's ban on open-carry firearms sparks lawsuit". WAPT. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  14. ^ Vicory, Justin. "Jackson can't ban the open carry of firearms, judge rules". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  15. ^ "Drive-in church services allowed in Greenville". WJTV. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  16. ^ "High Road to Freedom" (PDF). Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
[edit]