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Traffic Stop Rights

Traffic Stop Rights

Q: What are my rights during a traffic stop? Seeing blue lights in the rear view mirror can be nerve-wracking to anyone, whether or not they are doing something wrong.  Part of the explanation for why an innocent person’s blood pressure might go up at the sight of...
Modifying a Child Support Order

Modifying a Child Support Order

Q: How and when can I modify a child support order? “Child support” is a payment owed by a non-custodial parent to the parent in possession of a child to be used for support of the child’s health, education, and well-being. The courts use a formula to calculate the...
Establishing Paternity

Establishing Paternity

Q: How do I establish or dispute paternity? Legally established paternity can affect parents and children in several important ways. For example, it can determine: whether a parent can be required to pay or entitled to receive child support, a child’s right to inherit...
Public Defender

Public Defender

Q: What is a public defender? The Sixth Amendment, according to the Supreme Court, gives a defendant (the person charged with a crime) the right to a public defender in all criminal proceedings where the defendant is facing incarceration. The law in Mississippi...
Unmarried Mothers

Unmarried Mothers

Q: Are there any ramifications if an unmarried mother decides not to tell the child’s father about the child? Outside of marriage, there is no legal presumption of paternity. A father’s name on a birth certificate does not make him a legal parent. An unmarried father...