Airport Lawsuit Grounded

Jones v. Reeves grounded the long-flying litigation about governance of the Jackson Airport, observing:

There is also a fundamental disconnect between the Plaintiffs’ theory of employment-related injury, i.e. loss of per diem and travel reimbursement, and the remedy they seek, which is an injunction preventing abolition of the [Jackson Municipal Airport Authority]. … The elimination of JMAA and its replacement by the [Jackson Metropolitan Area Airport] Authority is the crux of this case. JMAA Commissioners’ per diem and travel expenses compensate and reimburse them only for their official duties as appointees. If the seat to which these duties are owed disappears, so too does the need for any associated reimbursement or compensation. With the elimination of the JMAA, there are no official duties requiring a per diem; and in the absence of JMAA -related travel expenses, there is nothing to reimburse.

No. 24-60371 (Nov. 19, 2024). Accordingly, the Court dismissed the case because the plaintiffs lacked individual standing, as their injuries were “institutional” and not personal.