RIDGELAND — A Mississippi immigration attorney at the center of viral social media rumors confirmed she was appointed as a municipal court judge in a small Delta town — not here, where false reports had claimed.
Assma A. Ali, founder of Ali & Associates, P.A. in Ridgeland, posted documents on social media showing she was sworn in Aug. 5 as municipal court judge for Benoit, a town of about 365 residents in Bolivar County.
Ali shared images of her signed oath of office alongside Benoit Mayor Linda Carter, as well as an official town board meeting agenda listing her appointment.
"On August 5, I was honored to be appointed and sworn in as Municipal Court Judge for the Town of Benoit, Mississippi," Ali said in a statement, adding that she would approach the role with "fairness, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the law."
The clarification follows days of online posts falsely reporting that Ali had been named to the municipal bench in Ridgeland, where her primary law practice is located. Supporters online celebrated the report, calling her the first Yemeni-American Muslim woman wearing a hijab to serve as a U.S. judge.
However, partisan commentary accounts and national websites quickly amplified the unverified claims, framing the reported Ridgeland appointment in inflammatory terms.
Ridgeland officials pushed back against the rumors earlier this week, emphasizing that the city had no judicial vacancies.
"The City of Ridgeland was at the center of some attention over...
RIDGELAND — A Mississippi immigration attorney at the center of viral social media rumors confirmed she was appointed as a municipal court judge in a small Delta town — not here, where false repor...