Administrative Office of Courts
Dean Rosenblatt receives Chief Justice Award Mississippi College School of Law Dean James H. Rosenblatt is the recipient of the 2011 Chief Justice Award. Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. announced the award on Saturday, July 16, at the annual Mississippi Bar Convention in Sandestin, Fla. The annual award recognizes individuals whose work improves the judicial system. Dean Rosenblatt was honored for his visionary leadership in legal education, community service and support of the judicial system. It is the second time he has been honored with the Chief Justice Award. He shared the award in 2006. Chief Justice Waller said, “I appreciate Dean Rosenblatt’s energy and innovation as a legal educator, his passion for community service and his unwavering support of the Mississippi judicial system.” Chief Justice Waller noted that under Dean Rosenblatt’s leadership, Mississippi College School of Law established an internet accessible archive of Mississippi appellate court oral arguments and briefs. The archive, part of the law school’s Judicial Data Project, includes video of oral arguments before the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals dating back to 2004, and briefs dating from 2007 forward. Also under Dean Rosenblatt’s guidance, Mississippi College School of Law expanded the work of the MLI Press, which publishes several important works that benefit the Mississippi bench and bar. Dean Rosenblatt was instrumental in adding legal assistance to the medical and dental services provided to low income people by Mission First in Jackson. More than 200 lawyers and law students provide pro bono legal aid through Mission First. Mississippi College School of Law assists adoptive parents by providing the assistance of law students and volunteer lawyers. The program helps move children from foster care into permanent homes, gives law students valuable practical experience, and encourages students’ commitment to community service. Dean Rosenblatt and the MCSOL faculty serve on numerous committees which work to improve the judiciary and advance the administration of justice. Dean Rosenblatt is an ex-officio member of the Access to Justice Commission. Faculty members serve on other legal and judicial study committees. Dean Rosenblatt said, “I am honored to receive this award as the agent for the collective work of Mississippi College School of Law in its support of the judiciary, the legal community, and the public. We are pleased to give back in return for the fantastic support our law school and our students receive from judges and attorneys. We are blessed to be part of a very special and generous legal community.” Dean Rosenblatt assumed leadership of the Mississippi College School of Law in August 2003, after retiring from a distinguished career of more than 30 years in the U.S. Army. At the time of his military retirement, he was Staff Judge Advocate of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Va. He served as principal legal advisor for a training organization of 54,000 soldiers, civilian employees and contractors. Earlier military assignments included Commander of the U.S. Army Claims Service in Fort Meade, Md.; Staff Judge Advocate for the Army Engineer and Training Center at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Staff Judge Advocate for the 32nd Army Air Defense Command at Darmstadt, Germany; law professor at the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Va.; Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; chief of attorney recruitment for the Judge Advocate General’s Corps at the Pentagon; and associate counsel for the Training and Doctrine Command in Hampton, Va. Dean Rosenblatt was born in Natchez and grew up in rural Wilkinson County. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from Cornell. #### |
