Supreme Court Justices

Justice Dawn H. Beam Associate Justice
Dawn H. Beam
District 2, Place 2

Justice Dawn H. Beam joined the Mississippi Supreme Court on February 16, 2016. Gov. Phil Bryant appointed her to fill the unexpired term of former Justice Randy Pierce. She is the fourth woman to serve on the state’s highest court, and the first woman appointed from the Southern District.

Justice Beam, the daughter of a minister, was born in Marks in the Mississippi Delta and as a child lived in numerous communities across the state. She graduated from Caldwell High School in Columbus, Mississippi. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from the University of Mississippi, and a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1989.

She has spent most of her legal career in the Pine Belt area. She was elected to and served for three years as county prosecutor for Lamar County, and for five years as a chancellor of the Tenth Chancery District, which includes Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River and Perry counties. Her work as a chancellor and as a county prosecutor included protection of abused and neglected children. After her appointment to the Supreme Court, she continued work for the protection of children and families as co-chair of the Commission on Children's Justice and co-chair of the Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships.

She makes her home in Sumrall. She is a member of Sumrall United Methodist Church in Lamar County.

She is married to Dr. Stephen Beam. They have five children. Justice Beam and her husband are very active in their community.