KEMETIC MINDS — BREAKING NEWS
September 07, 2026
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that access to clean drinking water is not protected by the constitutional right to bodily integrity, upholding the dismissal of a lawsuit in which Jackson, Mississippi, residents alleged city officials knowingly allowed people to drink lead-poisoned water [1].
Key Facts
- The lawsuit was brought by plaintiffs Priscilla Sterling, Raine Becker, Shawn Miller and John Bennett, who first argued in 2022 that lead contamination of the city’s water violated residents’ constitutional rights [1].
- Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote: “We are skeptical that the right to not be harmed by lead-contaminated water fits within the right to bodily integrity, and Plaintiffs point us to no historical tradition or Supreme Court precedent convincing us otherwise” [1].
- Testing between 2010 and 2013 by the Mississippi State Department of Health showed lead in the city’s water was increasing at an alarming rate, according to the allegations against the city [1].
- JXN Water customers’ bills increased by nearly 12% earlier this year, on average about $8.88 per month, and an additional 10% increase may be needed next spring [1].
What the Court Said
Engelhardt wrote that the right to bodily integrity applies to instances such as sexual assault by a police officer or prisoners being forced to take medication — but not, the court found, to harm from lead-contaminated water [1].
In a 2024 appeal of the case, plaintiffs said the city ignored warnings rather than taking the needed steps to stop lead from further contaminating the water, Mississippi Today reported [1].
City’s Response
Jackson Mayor John Horhn said: “We are pleased that the Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of these claims. The City remains committed to the health, safety, and well-being of every Jackson resident” [1].
The city will continue working with partners, including the state and federal government, as well as JXN Water, to strengthen its water system, local outlet WJTV 12 News reported [1].
What’s Still Unconfirmed
The available reporting does not state whether the plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling, and it does not confirm whether the possible 10% rate increase next spring will take effect [1].
Black Excellence This Week
The hard news is real, and so is this. Wins reported by the Black press in the last 14 days:
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What You Can Do This Week
Not just bad news — here is where to push.
- Ask your city council when your system was last inspected — it is public record — Attend your city council meeting (USA.gov local officials)
- Apply for assistance if an outage or failure cost you property — FEMA disaster assistance
- Tell your representative which system near you is failing — Find your U.S. representative
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- Yahoo Finance. (2026, September 6). Federal court tells lead-poisoned Jackson, Mississippi residents they have no constitutional right to clean water. finance.yahoo.com ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f ↩g ↩h ↩i ↩j
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