Administrative Office of Courts
Judge Maxwell to take Supreme Court oath January 4 in Jackson Judge James D. Maxwell II of Oxford will be sworn in as a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in the Supreme Court En Banc Courtroom in Jackson. 
A formal investiture ceremony will be held at a later date. He will take the oath of office on Monday so that he may begin his new duties on the Supreme Court. Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Judge Maxwell to the Supreme Court position formerly held by David Chandler of Ackerman. The Governor appointed Chandler as executive director of the Division of Family and Children’s Services. Judge Maxwell said, “I am humbled by Governor Bryant's confidence in me and am honored to serve on our state's highest court. I look forward to working with my new colleagues.” Judge Maxwell has served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals for almost seven years. Former Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him in 2009 to fill the Court of Appeals vacancy created when Chandler was elected to the Supreme Court. After serving by appointment, Judge Maxwell was elected twice to the Court of Appeals. Judge Maxwell earned his undergraduate degree and juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi. He practiced civil law in Jackson before returning to Oxford to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi. Judge Maxwell frequently lectures on appellate and trial advocacy, legal writing, and Mississippi’s judicial system. He is a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar, the Lafayette County Bar Association, and Tri-County Young Lawyers. He also served on the Board of Bar Commissioners, the Mississippi Bar Foundation, the Diversity in the Law Committee, and the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association. Judge Maxwell and his wife Mindy have two children, Trip and Mae Covington. The Maxwells are active members of First Baptist Church, Oxford. #### |
