The Mississippi attorney general can take over a case when a local prosecutor steps away, but the takeover must be voluntary and a judge cannot set deadlines for the work.
In a unanimous ruling Tuesday, Mississippi Supreme Court justices said a circuit court “acted outside its authority” this year when it ordered Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office to investigate a death after a district attorney recused herself.
Kassie Coleman became Lauderdale County district attorney in November 2018.