Administrative Office of Courts
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Justice Maxwell, Judge McDonald and Judge Adams reappointed to judicial education committee July 19, 2019 Supreme Court Justice James D. Maxwell II of Oxford, Court of Appeals Judge Deborah A. McDonald of Fayette and Leflore County Court Judge Kevin Adams of Greenwood have been re-appointed to the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education.  The Conference of County Court Judges selected Judge Adams, who began his service on the Committee on Oct. 16, 2014. Justice Maxwell and Judge McDonald are appointees of the Chief Justice. Justice Maxwell has served on the Committee since March 2, 2017. Judge McDonald has been a member since Feb. 28, having filled a vacancy on the Committee. Chief Justice Mike Randolph signed an order on July 16 formalizing the three appointments for two-year terms which will begin Aug. 1. The six-member Committee on Continuing Judicial Education exercises general supervisory authority over the administration of the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education and recommends rule changes to the Supreme Court. The rules govern the nature and number of mandatory judicial education hours which judges must receive before taking office and annually. The rules cover Supreme Court justices and judges of the Court of Appeals, Circuit, Chancery, County and Youth Courts, including Youth Court referees, as well as senior judges. Justice Maxwell was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to the Mississippi Supreme Court on Jan. 1, 2016. He previously served as a judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals for almost seven years. Before he came to the bench, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi. Justice Maxwell earned his undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi. Judge McDonald was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2018 and took office in January. She previously served as Fayette Municipal Judge for 23 years. She was attorney for the city of Port Gibson for almost seven years, and represented the Hazlehurst School District for three years. She represented clients in state and federal courts, including extensive civil rights litigation. She began her legal career as an attorney representing the poor at the former Southwest Mississippi Legal Services in McComb. She worked for Legal Services for nine years, and was director of the McComb office for three years. Judge McDonald is a graduate of Alcorn State University. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Judge Adams has served as County Court Judge of Leflore County since April 2008. He is also the Youth Court Judge for Leflore County. Before his appointment to the bench, he served as Chancery Court Administrator for the Seventh Chancery District. He was president of the Mississippi Court Administrators Association. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Millsaps College, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law. #### |
