An option I'm sure Chip Pickering is relieved Leisha Pickering did not pursue

As far as I know, the alienation of affection matter between Leisha Pickering and Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd is still ongoing, and Chip Pickering's diary is still providing presumably colorful in camera reading.  But, there's some good news for Chip and his alleged paramour: at least they didn't get arrested.  The Columbus Dispatch is reporting on a Noxubee County case where cheating husband and his supposed mistress were arrested for adultery and fornication:

Lashawn Williams, 33, of 294 Pilgrim Rest Road in Noxubee County and Roshanda Jackson, 30, of 183 Oliver Road, were arrested July 1 when Williams' wife, Cortiga, pressed charges on her allegedly unfaithful husband and Jackson.

Lashawn Williams and Jackson were charged with adultery and fornication, respectively; both crimes carry the same penalty, up to $500 and jail time up to six months. Both were released July 1 on $1,000 bond, according to the Noxubee County Jail.

"We do have to follow the legal process," (Columbus Assistant Police Chief Joe) Johnson said. "If A and B are married, and if B signs an affidavit on A and C because they are involved, they all have to come to court."

 The story goes on to detail some of the odd laws that are still on the books, most of which have to do with some sort of frowned-upon act of intimacy, and the chances of any of them being repealed.  From my point of view, I see the chances of Leisha Pickering causing arrest warrants to be issued for Chip and Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd as being only slightly higher than the chances of the Legislature repealing a single criminal statute.

Chip Pickering responds to the assault allegation

WAPT has former Rep. Chip Pickering's response to the assault allegation involving a Madison soccer coach:

In a statement released Monday, Pickering said the coach verbally abused and physically intimidated Pickering's 11-year-old son to the point where he was crying uncontrollably.

"I approached the coach, who was sitting in his vehicle, and asked him to not address my son in such a manner again. I did not say anything further to him, nor did I threaten him," Pickering said. "The coach then opened his car door, removed his seat belt and exited the vehicle, attacking and assaulting me, and I was forced to defend myself by restraining him."

...

Pickering said he is also filing a complaint against the coach with the Mississippi State Soccer Association and is asking for his immediate suspension.

"Even though I acted only to protect my son and then in necessary self-defense, I very much regret the adverse impact such incident might have on the children participating in such a worthwhile event," Pickering said.

Hmmmmm. Like I said before, there are likely tons of witnesses to this. We'll see how this unfolds.

h/t Will in comments

Judge Pickering, for the love of all that is holy, have a talk with your son

First, we have the whole revelation about former Congressman Chip Pickering's (R-MS) extramarital affair.  Last night, WLBT reported that Chip's being "that guy" at his son's soccer game:

According to Madison Police, former Republican U.S. Representative Chip Pickering and Coach Chris Hester have signed affidavits against each other for simple assault.  Officers were called to Liberty Park's soccer fields around 4:30 this afternoon after reports of an altercation. Police say a disagreement between the teams two coaches led to Pickering approaching Hester about the treatment of his son who plays for the opposite team.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.... Court appearances today for the both of them before Madison City Court Judge Dale Danks.  Both have been charged with simple assault.

Back from vacation odds and ends...

I'm back from vacation, and am trying to catch up on a few things.  Here's what's on my radar blog-wise:

1.  Casey Ann mentioned a problem with the button used to write Jim and I a message.  I tested it, and it's not working for me either.  I'll try to figure that out ASAP.

2.  Judge Yerger sentenced Justin Larun Lomax to 75 years in prison yesterday for three counts of house burglary.  The maximum sentence for each count was 25 years, so he got the max on all three.  Mr. Lomax, 19, had entered an "open" plea, meaning he pled guilty without a recommendation from the DA with respect to sentencing.  Mr. Lomax also pled guilty to another house burglary and an aggravated assault.  He had also been charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm while in the commission of a crime in connection with the house burglary and aggravated assault, but those three charges have been remanded.  Judge Hilburn will sentence Mr. Lomax tomorrow on the house burglary and aggravated assault.  Lomax pled open on those as well.  By my calculations, the 19 year-old Lomax will not be eligible for release until somewhere north of his 55th birthday.  Ouch.

3.  Alan Michael Rubenstein of Marrero, LA, was resentenced to life without parole after the Mississippi Supreme Court, in 2006, overturned a death penalty sentence handed down by a Pike County jury in 2000.  It was a heinous case, but the language of the statute altering the sentencing options on capital murder cases was fairly clear at the time.  The MSSC sent the case back for resentencing because the jury had not been given the option of life without parole, despite a 1994 amendment to the statute that clearly provided for that option, regardless of when the crime itself occurred.  Here's a link to the MSSC's opinion.  (Easley wrote the dissent, of course.)

4.  There's been no docket entry in Leisha Jane Pickering v. Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd since the deposition subpoenas were issued back on July 23, 2009. 

Latest Filings in Pickering v Creekmore Byrd

The litigation in Leisha Pickering's lawsuit against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd continued last week. Mrs. Pickering's attorneys, Oliver Diaz and Chuck McRae, have requested subpoenas for witnesses for deposition testimony. The two names recognizable to me are Charles W. Pickering, Sr., the former U.S. District Judge and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge, and Steve Seale, former Mississippi State Senator, former chief legal advisor to Senator Trent Lott, and Jackson lawyer; according to his LinkedIn page, his clients include Cellular South. As we have noted before, Ms. Creekmore Byrd is on the Board of Directors of Cellular South.

It is rather early in the lawsuit to take depositions; I would consider this a pretty aggressive strategy on the part of the Plaintiff in the case. Recall that the Complaint alleges that:

The Defendants, John and Jane Does 1-7, are named as defendants herein because they may have aided Creekmore-Byrd in her affair and to entice and tortuously interfere with the contract between Leisha Jane Pickering and Charles Willis Pickering, Jr.

It could be that these depositions are meant to identify these "John and Jane Does." But that is complete guesswork on my part.

Next week may bring even more interesting news. Stay tuned.

Why The Pickering Relationship Matters to Us

Those who claim that the lawsuit filed by Leisha Pickering against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd is merely a matter of private concern might consider this question: what if Rep. Chip Pickering had divorced Leisha and married Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd while he was in office? In that case, House of Representatives Rule 28 and the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 would probably have required him to report Ms. Byrd's financial holdings, to disclose to the public possible conflicts of interest. We have previously discussed one major legislative issue with ramifications for Cellular South, a company owned in part by Ms. Byrd and on which she serves as a member of the board of directors.

So if the financial holdings of a spouse are matters of public interest -- because the public has the right to evaluate their Representative's record in the light of his or her personal interests -- is it that much of a stretch to think it matters whether a Representative's romantic relationship might warrant concern?

Following the Money in the Pickering Case

Given the rash of political sex scandals in the last two years -- or even the last two months -- it's natural for the media to focus on the more salacious aspects of the Pickering v Byrd case.

I would draw attention to the public implications instead. Consider this AP story from two years ago, discussing the little-known "Universal Service Fund," which, as I understand it, takes funds generated from a surcharge on telephone charges and, among other things, gives direct subsidies to companies providing cellular coverage in rural areas.

The story explains:

Congress ordered that consumers - including those in "rural, insular and high-cost areas" - have access to telecommunications and information services at rates comparable to those charged in urban areas. That was to be financed by a fee added to long-distance bills. The charge may only be a few dollars per month, but it adds up fast.

In 2006, the fund collected $6.6 billion, money that flows to four programs. About $1.7 billion paid for schools and libraries to connect to the Internet; two smaller funds subsidized telephone service for the poor and rural health care facilities.

The largest chunk - about $4.1 billion [in 2006] - flows to the aptly named "high cost" program, the source of the current controversy. That money is paid directly to telephone companies that do business in mostly rural areas where the cost of delivering service is high.

In the early years of the fund, subsidies went almost exclusively to old-fashioned wired phone companies - large and small - that had served rural areas for decades. To spur competition, Congress wanted to make subsidies available to other carriers.

Initially, the lure of a handout wasn't enough to attract new entrants. But the dramatic growth of the cellular telephone industry changed all that.

Wireless providers discovered that the subsidy - based on what the wired companies were getting per customer - would cover their costs and then some.

* * * *

Of the $2.45 billion that has been paid to competitive carriers from 2003 through April 2007, 75 percent of the cash went to 10 companies, according to AP's analysis.

Alltel, which recently announced the sale of the company, reported a $230 million profit in the first three months of 2007, a total boosted by the $65 million to $70 million in universal service funds the company says it receives each quarter.

"We are the largest wireless recipient of (universal service funding) because we are the largest rural carrier," company spokesman Andrew Moreau told the AP in an e-mailed response to questions.

Next on the list of recipients is AT&T Inc. with $239 million, followed by U.S. Cellular Corp. at $212 million and Mississippi's Cellular South Inc. with $156 million.

* * * *
In Mississippi, the top recipient of cash among cellular providers is Cellular South Inc., a 900-employee private company, whose executives have been prolific in their giving. Officers of the company and its corporate parent have dealt at least $142,550 in contributions to federal campaign committees, according to records.

Favorites include Mississippi Republican Rep. Charles E. "Chip" Pickering and Sen. Trent Lott. Pickering is a former member of Lott's staff and helped shape the 1996 telecommunications law, according to his congressional biography.

The "High Cost Support" Program is alive and well. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/17445104/Universal-Service-Fund-Report

Now, the idea of paying subsidies to companies to provide services in under-served areas makes sense to me. But is it uncomfortable to anyone else that Representative Pickering, as Vice Chair of the House Commerce Committee before his retirement, had jurisdiction over the Universal Service Fund that had paid hundreds of millions of dollars to his alleged mistress' company?

Photo of Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd

Here's a photo of Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd: