Mississippi - Some Pardons by Barbour Are Halted - NYTimes.com A Circuit Court judge in Jackson temporarily blocked the release of 21 inmates on Wednesday night who were among 215 convicts granted clemency by Gov. Haley Barbour in his final days in office. State Attorney General Jim Hood argued that granting clemency for some convicts was unconstitutional because the pardons had not been sufficiently publicized beforehand. Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Barbour, who left office Tuesday, issued a statement about the pardons, which have caused a storm of controversy. Of those granted clemency, 188 had already left prison, most of them years ago, it said, and the "pardons were intended to allow them to find gainful employment or acquire professional licenses as well as hunt and vote." Of the 26 who were in custody, 13 were placed on "indefinite suspension due to medical reasons because their health care expenses while incarcerated were costing the state so much money." The remaining number includes five inmates released on Sunday, including four men serving life sentences for murder, who had worked at the Governor's Mansion. The judge ordered those five men to appear in court on Jan. 23.