Federal appeals court reverses ruling that found Mississippi discriminated in mental health care

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that found Mississippi relies too much on institutionalizing people with mental health conditions rather than providing care in their communities. The decision came Wednesday from three judges on the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They wrote that the federal government, which sued Mississippi, failed to prove that the state discriminated against people with mental health conditions in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mississippi’s Republican attorney general, Lynn Fitch, praised the appeals court ruling. Fitch says federal agencies have used the threat of lawsuits “to coerce Mississippi and other states into adopting their preferred policies and budget priorities.”