OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) -- Free speech rights in an at-will employment state may get a test in Oktibbeha County.

Long-time Circuit Court deputy clerk Regina Evans has sued new Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Clerk Glenn Hamilton and the Board of Supervisors over her firing last year.

In her lawsuit filed in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court, Evans says she worked in the office for more than 23 years but openly supported Teresa Roberson, a black female Democrat, in last fall's election.

Hamilton, a white Republican, won the race and terminated Evans shortly after the election, replacing her with what Evans says is a less-experienced white woman.

Evans claims the firing violated her rights to free speech and due process. The county has not yet filed a response.