Jim Hood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Hood
39th Attorney General of Mississippi
In office January 8, 2004 – January 14, 2020
Governor	Haley Barbour Phil Bryant
Preceded by	Mike Moore
Succeeded by	Lynn Fitch
Personal details
Born	James Matthew Hood (1962-05-15) May 15, 1962 (age 63) New Houlka, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Debra Hood
Children	3
Education	University of Mississippi (BA, JD)

James Matthew Hood (born May 15, 1962), also known as Jim Hood, is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 39th Attorney General of Mississippi for 16 years, from 2004 to 2020. The Attorney General is the top lawyer and law enforcement officer for a state's government.

As a member of the Democratic Party, Hood was first elected as Attorney General in 2003. He was reelected three more times. In 2019, he ran for Governor of Mississippi but lost the election to Tate Reeves. This was the first time Hood had lost an election for a statewide office.

For many years, Hood was the only Democrat to hold a statewide office in Mississippi. After leaving his position, he joined a law firm and now works in its Mississippi office.

Early Life and Education

Jim Hood was born in New Houlka, a town in Chickasaw County. He grew up in northeastern Mississippi.

For college, Hood attended the University of Mississippi. He earned a J.D. degree in 1988, which is the degree needed to become a lawyer.

Career as Attorney General

Hood became Mississippi's Attorney General on January 8, 2004. Before this, he was a district attorney, which means he was the main prosecutor for a specific region of the state. As a prosecutor, Hood has been involved in over 100 jury trials.

During his time as Attorney General, Hood started several new units to help people. These included units focused on protecting vulnerable adults, stopping domestic violence, and fighting identity theft. He also created programs to help prevent violence at schools and workplaces.

Historic Civil Rights Case

In 2005, one of Hood's most famous cases was the prosecution of Edgar Ray Killen, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. Killen was found responsible for planning the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers: Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney. This case was a major event in the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

Hurricane Katrina Recovery

Jim Hood speaking at a Department of Justice event.

After Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi in 2005, Hood played a key role in the state's recovery. He worked to help homeowners who had problems with their insurance companies. He filed lawsuits against many insurance companies to make sure people received fair payments for the damage to their homes.

Some people praised Hood's work, saying it gave Mississippi homeowners a better chance to rebuild than people in other states.

Challenging Governor's Pardons

In 2012, Governor Haley Barbour, on his last day in office, granted pardons to 208 people who had been convicted of crimes. A pardon forgives a person for a crime.

As Attorney General, Hood challenged these pardons. He argued that the governor did not follow a rule in the Mississippi Constitution. The rule says that anyone asking for a pardon must first announce it in a newspaper. A judge agreed and temporarily stopped the release of 21 of the individuals.

Lawsuits Against Companies

Hood's office filed lawsuits against different types of companies to protect the state and its citizens.

In 2017, he sued several drug companies. The lawsuits claimed these companies were making the state pay for medicines that were not approved for the state's Medicaid program.

That same year, he also sued companies that had contracts with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Hood stated that these companies were involved in unfair deals that cost taxpayers money. His office recovered over $26 million from these companies for the state.

Google Investigation

Jim Hood in 2007.

Starting in 2013, Hood worked with other attorneys general to push Google to do more to stop its search engine from being used to find illegal online content. This led to a legal disagreement between Hood's office and Google.

In 2014, Google sued Hood to block a subpoena, which is a legal order to provide documents. The company argued the order was too broad. After some time in court, both sides agreed to drop their lawsuits in 2016. They decided to work together to address harmful content online.

2019 Campaign for Governor

On October 3, 2018, Jim Hood announced he would run for Governor of Mississippi in the 2019 election. During his campaign, he focused on issues like healthcare, education, and improving roads and bridges.

Hood supported expanding Medicaid to help more people get health insurance and to keep rural hospitals open. He also proposed making community college tuition-free and providing preschool for all children.

He won the Democratic primary election with a large majority of the vote. In the general election, he faced Republican Tate Reeves. Hood lost the election, but it was the closest a Democrat had come to winning the Mississippi governor's race since 1999.

Electoral History