News

Judge Frank Vollor announces plans to retire in May

March 31, 2009

Ninth Circuit Judge Frank Vollor of Vicksburg will retire May 31.

He will return to private law practice. Gov. Haley Barbour will appoint someone to fill the unexpired term. Judge Vollor’s term would have ended in December 2010.

Judge Vollor is one of two judges in the Ninth Circuit District, which includes Warren, Issaquena and Sharkey counties.

Judge Vollor, 60, said he is stepping down for economic reasons. “I have children to put through college. I must retire and go back into the practice of law so that I can fulfill my obligations to my family,” he said.

Four of his five children have graduated from college. His youngest daughter will be a freshman this fall.

“The scholarships are not enough to pay for her college education. I feel compelled to provide her with the college education that she deserves, so I’m going to go back into the practice of law,” he said.

He said he expects to join a firm with his nephew, Austin Vollor. He will open a law office in Vicksburg. Austin Vollor practices law in Starkville.

Judge Vollor has served as circuit judge for 20 years in the Ninth Circuit District. He was county prosecutor in Warren County for five and a half years before he took the bench.

Judge Vollor, a native of Vicksburg, said, “I loved the job. It’s been an honor to have served the Ninth Judicial District and the people of Warren County. The people have been good to me. I thank them.”

Judge Vollor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of Mississippi before serving three years of active duty in the U.S. Marines. He earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, then worked as a law clerk for the Mississippi Supreme Court. He was in private law practice in Vicksburg for 13 years before he became Circuit Judge. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for 10 years, retiring at the rank of major.

####