NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen have appointed Scott Slover to be defense attorney for people being prosecuted in Natchez Municipal Court but can’t afford to pay a lawyer.
Slover is also the attorney for the Adams County Board of Supervisors. Alderman Billie Joe Frazier questioned whether it’s a conflict of interest for Slover to also be Natchez Municipal Court’s public defender, but the Mississippi Ethics Commission and state Attorney General’s Office said it’s not, according to city board attorney Jack Lazarus.
Aldermen voted 3-2 Tuesday to appoint Slover city public defender.
Frazier – who said attorney Lydia Roberta Blackmon should be considered for the job – was joined by Alderman Felicia Bridgewater-Irving in voting against Slover’s appointment. Backing Slover were Aldermen Valencia Hall, Sarah Carter Smith and Curtis Moroney. Alderman Ben Davis was absent.
Municipal Court’s public defender was Eileen Maher, but she recently resigned and was temporarily replaced by attorney Terrence Hunter. He was appointed city judge by the board earlier this month to replace Christina Daugherty, who’s resigning at the end of this month to become an assistant district attorney.
Natchez Municipal Court’s jurisdiction includes minor criminal offenses, such as shoplifting and disorderly conduct, and unkempt properties deemed by the city as public nuisances.
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