Bobby DeLaughter
On March 28, 2008, DeLaughter was suspended from the bench indefinitely
by the Mississippi Supreme Court due to allegations of bribery and
judicial misconduct. DeLaughter pleaded not guilty on February 12, 2009
to a five-count federal indictment; these charges were linked to the
criminal investigation of disgraced tort attorney Richard Scruggs. He
later pleaded guilty on July 30, 2009 to one obstruction of justice
charge. DeLaughter was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on
November 13, 2009 for the obstruction of justice charge he pleaded
guilty to on July 30, 2009. The sentence was imposed by Judge Glen
Davidson and is in keeping with the recommendation of his plea
agreement. Judge Davidson did not impose a financial penalty on
DeLaughter due to his negative net worth. His incarceration began
January 4, 2010.