U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate can be irascible, but he was right on point this week when he lampooned a secrecy request of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
Wingate had been asked by an IHL attorney to keep under wraps a pending settlement with a former Jackson State University faculty member, who sued for wrongful termination.
“The court does not seal public money,” Wingate said in response.
Absolutely correct.
The settlement reportedly will give the professor back her job as well as about $48,000 to make up for lost grants and pay. That money will be coming from the taxpayers or from an insurance policy for which they pay the premium.
They have a right to know how much this lawsuit is costing and why.
