Mississippi on Wednesday followed through on its promise to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that it come up with a plan to prevent unnecessary institutionalization of people with mental illness.
Lawyers for the state filed a notice of appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
On Sept. 7, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered that the state’s initial plan be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department and a mental health expert for feedback within 120 days. The judge said then that the final plan must be completed in 180 days.
State lawyers asked last week that the deadline be postponed because Mississippi intended to appeal Reeves’ ruling.
James Shelson, the state’s lawyer, wrote on Sept. 27 that if the Department of Mental Health were required to complete its plan and other requirements of Reeves’ order in the allocated time frame, “Mississippi will suffer irreparable injuries from undue interference with its mental health system and a fundamental alteration of that system both in costs and structure.”