Mississippi court won’t undo 12-year sentence for jail phone

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi lawyer said he’s going to the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping to overturn the 12-year prison sentence given to an African American man who took his mobile phone into a jail cell.

Critics said Willie Nash’s sentence is an example of racial injustice.

They said it was not clear whether Nash was told he could not keep his phone when he was booked on a misdemeanor charge.

The Mississippi Supreme Court said Thursday that it will not reconsider its earlier decision to uphold Nash’s sentence.

Will Bardwell of the Southern Poverty Law Center says the next step is an appeal to the nation’s high court.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)