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Chief Justice William L. (Bill) Waller, Jr., a native and current resident of Jackson, is a graduate of Murrah High School, received his bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University, and his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1977. He practiced law with the firm of Waller and Waller in Jackson for over twenty years and served as a Municipal Judge for the City of Jackson. Justice Waller was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court in November 1996, and re-elected in November 2004. He served as a Presiding Justice from January 2004 until December 2008, and assumed the position of Chief Justice in January, 2009.
Justice Waller has actively sought to bring various reforms to the legal system. He supported the adoption of mediation rules for civil litigation, and served as Chairman of the Mississippi Public Defender Task Force from 2000 to 2005. Justice Waller was the principal architect behind legislation which created the Office of Capital Post Conviction Counsel, the Office of Indigent Appeals, and the Comprehensive Electronic Court Systems Fund. He served as Chairman of the Rules Committee from 2001 to 2008. Justice Waller was the recipient of the Judicial Innovation Award for 2003-2004 by the Hinds County Bar Association and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association. He received the Chief Justice Award in 2005 for his work as chairman of a special study committee to develop a statewide e-filing and docket management system. Justice Waller serves on the adjunct faculty of the Mississippi College School of Law.
He is currently a member of the Stennis Institute Advisory Board at Mississippi State University. He is a former Eagle Scout and serves on the Advisory Board of the Andrew Jackson Council Boy Scouts of America.
Presently assigned to the Retired Reserve, Justice Waller attained the rank of Brigadier General while serving as Commander of the 66th Troop Command, Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Mississippi. He and his wife, Charlotte, have three children and are members of First Baptist Church Jackson.
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