On the first day of absentee voting in Mississippi, terminally ill Catherine Crews and her husband set out on foot for the Lafayette County Courthouse.
Republicans brought this case to the 5th Circuit, which is the most conservative in the country, but it could have wide-ranging implications nationally.
Gov. Tate Reeves is appointing a district attorney in northeast Mississippi to become a judge on the state Court of Appeals.
The Ward 2 seat became vacant in August after former councilwoman Angelique Lee resigned, then pleaded guilty in federal court of receiving nearly $20,000 in bribes. Lee will be sentenced in November. It was her first full term as a councilwoman.