Daily Mississippian

While the university has still not proclaimed a stance about its relationship with millionaire lawyer Dickie Scruggs after he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to bribe a judge Friday, the Mississippi Republican Party has decided to give all the donations it received from the lawyer back to the community.

Mississippi GOP Chairman Jim Herring said the party would give the more than $27,000 that Scruggs donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of America around Mississippi.

"At this time, we also call upon other political organizations, such as the Victory PAC of Speaker Billy McCoy, the Democratic Attorney Generals Association and others heavily funded by Mr. Scruggs and his colleagues to publicly do the same thing," Herring said.

The question of how to handle the relationship with Scruggs has been debated among students and faculty on campus since the plea.

Law professor George Cochran said the faculty needs to hold "intensive" discussions to decide whether the school should use Scruggs' money. It's not becoming of a law school to accept money from someone guilty of the highest crime in the judicial system, he said.

Cochran called the plea "a tragedy for the Scruggses" but said it should not reflect on the Mississippi legal system as a whole because it is an isolated incident.

Law professor Farish Percy was adamant the school should sever ties with Scruggs.

"It's a tough issue, but as a school we need to look at the message we're sending our students," Percy said.

Percy said this issue strikes at the heart of the U.S. legal system and bribery is not even taught during legal ethics courses because it's so obviously unethical.

Ole Miss third year law student Victoria Prince of Batesville said she was shocked and saddened by the plea because it sets the profession back many years and Scruggs was one of her heroes when she was growing up. She said she felt the university should still use Scruggs' money, however.

"I think the money can be helpful no matter who it comes from," Prince said.

Law school student Adam Harris of Gulfport agreed there needs to be a discussion about whether the university should take donations from Scruggs. However, "It's hard to deny money," he added.

Law professor Christopher Green was not as open to using Scruggs' donations.

"Someone going around bribing judges is not someone we should have close ties with," Green said.

Dean of the law school Sam Davis did not return phone calls or e-mails for comment.

Whether or not the campus music building, Richard and Diane Scruggs Hall, will retain its name is also a topic of discussion.

Curtis Wilkie, a former Boston Globe reporter and journalism professor at Ole Miss, who met Scruggs while writing an article about the lawyer, said he considers him a friend and does not think it would be appropriate to change the name of Scruggs Hall.

"You get into questions of trying to obliterate history: do you tear down the Confederate memorial or change the name of buildings of racist politicians?" Wilkie said.

Wilkie also noted that James Vardaman, who has a building named after him, advocated extreme racism against black people, and that the U.S. FBI building is named for "one of the most evil men in government history," J. Edgar Hoover, he said. These men were much worse than Scruggs, he said.

Wilkie cited instances in which name alterations have occurred, such as when some New Orleans street names were changed from those of prominent white slave holders to Civil Rights leaders.

Local attorney Ray Garrett said the plea brought relief to local lawyers because "this is finally coming to a conclusion."

A lot of negative attention has been directed against attorneys in North Mississippi and only a small handful were involved in this incident, Garrett said. The plea will make it easier to get back to what is best for lawyers' clients, he said.

Garrett attended law school at Ole Miss and wants to make sure his alma mater image isn't tarnished.

"I think the university and the law school, in particular, should make certain the image of the university is always protected," Garrett said.

Scruggs' defense attorney John Keker said neither he nor Scruggs could comment.

Mike Moore joins Zach Scruggs' defense

Zach Scruggs, the only remaining defendant in the judicial bribery case, in which his father Richard already pleaded guilty, has requested to add former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore to his defense team.

"I have known Zach Scruggs since he was a little boy," Moore said. "He asked me to represent him should his case ever get to trial. Zach is innocent of the charges pressed against him, and we look forward to his exoneration."

Scruggs' attorney Todd Graves of Kansas City said he and Moore have been working together on Zach's defense for a while, and Moore has always been planning to officially join the team.

Zach did not agree to a plea like his father and other co-defendants last week because he maintains his innocence.

"Zach is innocent; he has never been interested in admitting to anything he didn't do," Graves said

The government prosecutors will likely bring the other defendants who have already pleaded guilty in the conspiracy to testify against Zach, though his father is not required to testify against him.

"Zach did not join an unlawful conspiracy regardless of what other people testify," Graves said.

The defense is team is hoping and pushing for a continuance before the March 31 trial date Graves added, though Judge Neal Biggers has already sent out 200 jury summons and does not want that to be a wasted effort.

Reported by Paul Quinn

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