In a recent development, Jo Lynn Houston, the Respondent in the contested Republican primary runoff for the Tax Collector/Assessor position in Pearl River County, filed a Notice of Appeal on January 2, 2024.

This procedural step aims to bring the case before the Mississippi Supreme Court. The appeal follows the Final Judgment a Pearl River County court issued on December 27, 2023, which ordered a special election in response to Sandy Kane Smith’s Amended Petition for Contest of Election and Judicial Review.