CNN) -- Mississippi's attorney general chastised
former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour after a judge issued a temporary
injunction forbidding the release of any more prisoners Barbour pardoned
or gave clemency to before leaving office this week.
State Attorney General Jim Hood said Barbour violated the state's
constitution because the pardon requests for many inmates were not
published 30 days before they were granted, as required.
Mississippi is one of the few states that requires advance notice.


"This isn't a partisan issue," according to Hood, who is a Democrat. "Either you followed the constitution or you didn't."


"He's tried to rule the state like Boss Hogg and he didn't think the
law applied to him," Hood told CNN's Anderson Cooper Wednesday, likening
Barbour to a character in the 1980s TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard."

The pardons include four convicted murderers and a convicted armed
robber who were released Sunday. The five now must contact prison
officials on a daily basis as their fate is adjudicated.
The process of releasing 21 other inmates has been halted, said Hood, who sought the court order.


A court hearing on the matter will be held January 23.


Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green issued the injunction
Wednesday, saying it appeared some pardons, including those for four
murderers, did not meet the 30-day requirement. Any inmates released in
the future must meet the standard, Green ruled.
On his way out the door, the governor approved full pardons for
nearly 200 people, including 14 convicted murderers, according to
documents the Mississippi secretary of state's office released Tuesday.
The four murderers who received full pardons last week -- David
Gatlin, Joseph Ozment, Charles Hooker and Anthony McCray -- were cited
in Green's order.
They were all serving life sentences and worked as inmate trusties at
the governor's mansion, said Suzanne Singletary, spokeswoman for the
Mississippi Department of Corrections. Trusties are inmates who can
receive additional rights through good behavior.
Hood told "AC360" that it's possible that those who didn't meet the
30-day requirement may have to return to prison and complete their
sentences.
Barbour said Wednesday that some people misunderstand the clemency
process and believe that most of the individuals were still jailed.
"Approximately 90 percent of these individuals were no longer in
custody, and a majority of them had been out for years," he said in a
statement.
"The pardons were intended to allow them to find gainful employment
or acquire professional licenses as well as hunt and vote. My decision
about clemency was based upon the recommendation of the Parole Board in
more than 90 percent of the cases," Barbour wrote. "The 26 people
released from custody due to clemency is just slightly more than
one-tenth of 1 percent of those incarcerated."
Hood said he is questioning the release of many of the 175 individuals who received full pardons.


The pardons are "a slap in the face to everyone in law enforcement and Gov. Barbour should be ashamed," said Hood.


Barbour's full pardon of Gatlin has intensified fears that the man
will try "to finish what he started," one of his surviving victims said.
"I feel like my safety is in jeopardy," Randy Walker, who was shot
and wounded by Gatlin, said Wednesday. "I wonder if he's going to finish
what he's started."
Gatlin walked into a trailer in 1993 where his estranged wife, Tammy
Ellis, lived and shot her in the head as she held their 6-week-old baby
in her arms. She died of her wounds.
Walker, the woman's friend, survived a gunshot wound to the head.


Gatlin was convicted of murder, aggravated assault and burglary of a residence.


Speaking in an interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien, Walker and
Tiffany Ellis Brewer -- Tammy's sister -- expressed concerns about the
release and fears that Gatlin may intend to target them.
"I'm married and have a family again," Walker said. "I feel the
safety for them is an issue. Anybody that might be with me at the time
that he decides to do something would be in jeopardy."
Gatlin's pardon also raised concerns from John Kitchens, the prosecutor who saw him sent to prison.


"Haley Barbour is insane for granting a pardon to this criminal," said Kitchens, who is now in private practice.


Brewer said Barbour -- who left office this week -- hasn't directly responded to questions about the pardon.


"He will not comment on anything. We have no answers as to why he has
done this. I would like to think he did not have all of the facts of
the case, if he did have all the facts," she said.
"Apparently, we haven't had a really good man for our governor."


Barbour's successor, Phil Bryant, was inaugurated Tuesday.


Brewer shared the fears of those families watching convicted killers of their loved ones get blanket pardons and go free.


"I'm sure that they feel basically the same way as Randy and I do.
We're both fearful for our lives, our families' lives, and we will live
with this for the rest of our lives," she said.
Gatlin's whereabouts were unknown late Wednesday.


Barbour, who served eight years in the governor's office, had
previously granted full pardons to three other convicted killers in
2008. Another three were awarded conditional or indefinite releases
during his time in office -- meaning the governor, in total, granted
reprieves to 20 convicted murderers, the documents showed.
Since the conservative governor took office in 2004, 222 people were
granted clemency for a wide variety of crimes. Those who have been
granted full pardons include shoplifters, rapists, burglars and
embezzlers.
There were also a number who were found guilty of either manslaughter or homicide, who were given unconditional pardons.


Barbour is a long-time GOP operative, serving as the chairman of the
Republican National Committeee from 1993 to 1997, working as an aide in
the Reagan administration and taking part in the 1988 presidential
campaign of George H.W. Bush. He also is considered one of Washington's
most-powerful lobbyists.