State of Mississippi Judiciary

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.

Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. issued this statement in repornse to Gov. Phil Bryant's announcement that he will appoint Court of Appeals Judge James D. Maxwell II to the Supreme Court

The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts will conduct a seminar to introduce bilinguial speakers to the requirements for court interpreting on Jan. 20 and 21, 2016, in Jackson.

Justice Randy Pierce to become director of Mississippi Judicial College

Justice Randy Pierce will leave the Mississippi Supreme Court on Feb. 1 to become director of the Mississippi Judicial College

Dec. 17 retirement reception to honor Judge Cem Morgan

Circuit Judge Clarence E. “Cem” Morgan III will be honored Dec. 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at a retirement reception to be held at the Attala County Courthouse in Kosciusko.

WINGS to discuss protection of vulnerable adults on Dec. 11

WINGS, the Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardianship Stakeholders, will meet at 10 a.m. Dec. 11 at the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

Chief Justice BIll Waller Jr. today congratulated Justice David A. Chandler on his appointment as executive director of the Division of Family and CHildren's Services and thanked him for his 15 years of service as an appellate judge.

The Mississippi Supreme Court recently appointed two new members to the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions and reappointed a third member. Attorneys Walter Alan Davis of Oxford and Michael C. McCabe Jr. of Gulfport are new members of the board, and attorney Jeffery A. Styres of Madison has been reappointed.

Court officials on Dec. 1 asked Marion County residents come together as a community to tackle the growing problem of child abuse and neglect by providing volunteer services. They asked for parent mentors, child care services, tutors, foster parents, drug and alcohol education, prevention and treatment as well as a concerted effort to provide housing, vocational training and jobs.

Chancery Judge Dawn Beam has called for meetings with public officials and community leaders on Dec. 1 in Columbia to address a sharp increase in the number of abused and neglected children in Marion County.

Jefferson Davis County Circuit Court expects to begin voluntary electronic filing of court documents on Dec. 7, and plans to move to mandatory electronic filing on Jan. 4, 2016

The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday, Nov. 19, adopted a new court rule which expands the ability of law students to engage in limited law practice. The new rule is intended to provide more legal assistance to poor people.

A mass adoption ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. in Forrest County Chancery Court in Hattiesburg. Between 25 and 30 foster children are expected to be adopted into forever homes.

Chancery Courts in Clarke and Marion counties will begin voluntary electronic filing of court documents on Nov. 16, and will move to mandatory electronic filing on Dec. 14.

Law professor Guthrie T. Abbott of Oxford was honored Nov. 6 for more than three decades of work helping craft the rules that govern the state’s courts.

Retired Circuit Judge Joe N. Pigott of McComb died Nov. 3, 2015, at Ochsner-Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans. He was 90.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on the campus of Mississippi State University at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Nov. 12. A three-member panel of the court will convene at the Hunter Henry Center on the Starkville campus to hear two criminal appeals.

A funeral service for Chancery Judge Talmadge Littlejohn is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at First Baptist Church in New Albany. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, and 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at First Baptist Church. United Funeral Service in New Albany is handling arrangements.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will address the Lauderdale County Bar Association at noon Oct. 30 regarding the need to restore the 110-year-old Lauderdale County Courthouse. The Bar Association will meet at Weidmann’s Restaurant.

The Mississippi Supreme Court convened on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to pay tribute to 78 attorneys who died during the past year.

Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James L. Robertson of Jackson gathered with current justices and some of his former colleagues Thursday, Oct. 8, to unveil his portrait and reminisce.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Jimmy Maxwell will be the guest speaker Oct. 20 at the graduation ceremony of the 17th Circuit Drug Court. The ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the main courtroom at the DeSoto County Courthouse, 2535 U.S. Highway 51 in Hernando.

Two free legal assistance events are scheduled for Oct. 13 and Oct. 30 in Jackson to help low income people with record expungement.

The Mississippi Supreme Court announced appointments to the Commission on Children’s Justice on Thursday, Sept. 24. Court of Appeals Judge Virginia Carlton of Jackson and Rankin County Youth Court Judge Thomas Broome of Brandon are co-chairs.

The Washington County Chancery Court has scheduled a free legal clinic on Sept. 16 in Greenville to assist low income people with family law matters including no fault divorces, child support, visitation, name changes and other simple civil legal matters.

The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts will conduct a seminar to introduce bilingual speakers to the requirements for court interpreting on Oct. 7-8 in Tupelo.

An interdisciplinary group will meet on Sept. 18 to begin work toward improving the way Mississippi protects vulnerable adults.

An e-mail scam that uses a fictitious court summonses message titled “notice to appear in court” has become active again.

Two free legal clinics are scheduled for Sept. 9 and Sept. 17 in Hattiesburg to help low income people with child support collection and record expungement.

The Access to Justice Commission will meet at noon Sept. 1 at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson. AJC members will gather for lunch at 11:30 a.m.

Court of Appeals Judge Jack Wilson of Madison has a great legal mind, wisdom, fairness and a heart for public service, said officials who worked with him before his recent appointment.

Prosecuting prostitution charges and other misdemeanor offenses in Municipal Court gave Pat McNamara a look at life on the streets. In hindsight, though, he realized that many of those people were likely victims of human trafficking.

An investiture ceremony for Court of Appeals Judge Jack L. Wilson of Madison will be held at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street in Jackson.

The eleventh annual Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals Conference will be held Aug. 19-21 at the Imperial Palace in Biloxi.

Human trafficking will be among the topics discussed during the Fifth Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference on Aug. 13 at the Silver Star Convention Center at Choctaw, Mississippi.

Pine Belt area low-income people who can’t afford a lawyer may find legal assistance at a monthly legal clinic in Hattiesburg.

Commissioner of Corrections Marshall Fisher will be the guest speaker at the Third Judicial District Drug Court graduation at 2 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford. The ceremony will be held in the main courtroom. The public is invited to attend.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens on Aug. 12 will help introduce new law students to ethics and professionalism demanded of the legal profession.

Retired Chancery Judge Edward Prisock of Louisville died Thursday, July 30, after a short battle with pancreatic and liver cancers. He was 74.

Courts in Tate, Yalobusha and Panola counties are joining the statewide electronic filing system, Mississippi Electronic Courts.

Forrest County is leading the way in a program to help abused and neglected infants and toddlers get the medical, mental health and social services care that they need to grow up healthy and safe.

The Lee County Chancery Court has scheduled a free guardianship clinic July 15 in Tupelo to assist low income grandparents and other relatives to obtain documents needed to enroll children in Lee County schools. The clinic will be held 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lee County Justice Center in Tupelo.

Hancock County has a new juvenile drug court and a new program to provide legal representation for indigent parents accused of abuse and neglect of children.

Rankin County Court Judge Thomas H. Broome and Jurist in Residence John N. Hudson are recipients of this year’s Chief Justice Award for their work improving the juvenile justice system.

Visitors to the Mississippi Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Law Library and other court entities will be able to enter the Courthouse from the south plaza facing High Street starting July 1. The east entrance, which has been used since the building opened in 2008, will remain open.

Colleagues praised retiring Court of Appeals Judge Larry Roberts on Thursday, June 25, as a dedicated, passionate and practical jurist who served with integrity for 37 years.

Retiring Court of Appeals Judge Larry Roberts of Meridian will be honored at a ceremony on June 25 at 2:30 p.m. in the Court of Appeals Courtroom at the Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street in Jackson. A reception will follow.

National leaders in efforts to improve parent representation in the child welfare system will meet with Mississippi Youth Court judges and child welfare advocates June 18 and 19 in Jackson.

A dozen legal clinics are scheduled across the state this summer to help poor people address issues such as birth certificate corrections, child support, uncontested divorce, foreclosure prevention, guardianships, Social Security issues and wills.

The Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention will conduct a seminar at 1 p.m. June 8 to educate judicial candidates in Chancery and Circuit judge special elections about campaign finance rules and ethics. The seminar will be held in the first floor meeting room at the Supreme Court at 450 High Street.

Eleventh District Chancery Judge Cynthia Brewer of Madison County and Sixteenth District Chancery Judge D. Neil Harris of Pascagoula recently served as facilitators during the two-week general jurisdiction training for new judges at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.

The Access to Justice Commission will meet at noon June 2 at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson. AJC members will gather for lunch at 11:30 a.m.

Electronic filing of court documents will become mandatory in Tate County Chancery Court on June 1. Voluntary e-filing began on May 4.

Marshall Fisher spent more than 30 years investigating drug crimes, and since January, supervising the state prison system. On Tuesday, he will be the guest speaker for a program that celebrates the successes of people who got in trouble with drugs, but turned their lives around without going to prison.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for 10 a.m. June 9 in the Initiative 42 appeal Legislature v. Shipman, cause number 2015-TS-0605-SCT.

Seven new trial court judgeships created by the 2015 Legislature will be filled by special elections in November, with new judges taking office in January 2016. The redistricting legislation calls for the addition of three new chancellors and four new circuit judges.

The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts will conduct a seminar to introduce bilingual speakers to the requirements for court interpreting on June 17-18 in Long Beach.

Court of Appeals Judge Jimmy Maxwell of Oxford recently spoke to Rotary Clubs in Greenwood, Louisville, and Starkville.

Supreme Court Justice Ann H. Lamar of Senatobia today was named Woman of the Year in the legal and judicial field. The Commission on the Status of Women announced awards during a luncheon in Jackson.

The Chancery Court of Wayne County began accepting voluntary electronic filing of court records on April 15. Chancellor Franklin McKenzie Jr. has ordered that e-filing will become mandatory on May 15.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will be the guest speaker at the 15th Judicial District Drug Court graduation ceremony scheduled for 10:30 a.m. May 15 at Resurrection Life Church, 795 Memorial Boulevard in Picayune.

The Annual Spring Bar Admission Ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. April 30 in the En Banc Courtroom at the Mississippi Supreme Court. Sixty-two people who took the February Bar Exam have been certified to be admitted to the Mississippi Bar.

Order signed by Judge Cynthia L. Brewer Setting the dates to start voluntary e-filing (4/14/2015) and mandatory e-filing (5/4/2015) for the Chancery Court of Leake County

The Chancery Court of Leake County will begin accepting voluntary electronic filing of court records on April 14. E-filing will become mandatory on May 4, according to an order signed by Chancery Judge Cynthia Brewer.

One of Mississippi’s most experienced juvenile court judges has become an adviser to Youth Courts statewide.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Larry Roberts of Meridian will retire June 30.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena at 1 p.m. March 31. A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments in a criminal case at the W.A. Butts Social Science Building Auditorium.

A woman who found drug treatment and assistance through the military veterans track of the 19th Circuit Drug Court will be the keynote speaker at the program’s March 24 graduation in Pascagoula.

Circuit Judge Lee J. Howard of Starkville became chair of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance on Feb. 13. He previously served as vice-chair.

Circuit Judge Lee J. Howard of Starkville became chair of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance on Feb. 13. He previously served as vice-chair.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will speak to the Warren County Bar Association at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

Court of Appeals Judge James D. Maxwell II of Oxford will be the guest speaker at the Third Circuit Drug Court graduation ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford. The ceremony will be in the main courtroom.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will administer the court interpreter’s oath at 10 a.m. Feb. 11 to the first court language interpreter to be trained and certified under the state’s own program. Galina Lobodina of Clinton, whose native language is Russian, will take the interpreter’s oath during a ceremony at the Supreme Court Building at 450 High Street in Jackson.

An investiture ceremony for Circuit Judge Christopher L. Schmidt is scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Hancock County Courthouse in Bay St. Louis. The public is invited.

Former Chief Justice Roy Noble Lee, 99, who served on the Mississippi Supreme Court for 16 years, died Wednesday, Jan. 21, at his home in Forest.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the case of Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham v. State of Mississippi, ex rel. Jim Hood, Attorney General of the State of Mississippi, cause number 2014-CA-00008-SCT, on appeal from DeSoto County Chancery Court.

An e-mail scam that uses fictitious court summonses has become active again. The Office of the Clerk of the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals received numerous inquiries about e-mails which falsely claim to have come from a court.