State of Mississippi Judiciary

The Supreme Court has created the Mississippi Model Jury Instructions Commission. Its purpose is to examine jury instructions used in state courts and recommend plain language instructions which would offer clearer guidance regarding application of the law for the lay persons who serve on juries.

Newly elected justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court will take the oath of office on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, at 9:30 a.m. in the En Banc Courtroom on the second floor of the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

A commission created by order of the Mississippi Supreme Court to study laws and rules related to domestic abuse has issued its recommendations.

Like father, like son. When the Jackson County Drug Court holds its graduation on Dec. 16 in Pascagoula, one of the graduates will follow in his father’s footsteps. The father graduated from the Drug Court program in August.

The leader of the national drug court movement praised Hinds County officials Tuesday, Dec. 9, for their work toward transforming the community through the Drug Court, and urged them to send more people through the program.

Six people are expected to graduate from the Eighth Circuit Drug Court during a ceremony at 3 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Neshoba County Courthouse in Philadelphia.

The Pike County Juvenile Drug Court will hold a graduation at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb. The ceremony will be in the C.O. Haskins Community Room on the sixth floor.

Eleven teenagers are expected to graduate from the Madison County Juvenile Drug Court in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. December 9 at the Madison County Courthouse, 128 West North Street in Canton.

A leader in the national drug court movement will hold a press conference in Jackson at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Hinds County Courthouse at 407 East Pascagoula Street.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMMENTS REGARDING PROPOSED MUNICIPAL COURT RULES. Pursuant to Rule 27(f) of the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Supreme Court now seeks comments from the bench, the bar, and the public on the proposed Municipal Court Rules.

The Second Circuit Drug Court will celebrate a graduation at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in Gulfport. The ceremony will be held at the Isaiah Fredericks Community Center at 3312 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The Hinds County Youth Drug Treatment Court will hold its second graduation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18. The graduation will be held on the second floor of the Hinds County Courthouse at 407 East Pascagoula Street in Jackson.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMMENTS REGARDING PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO URCCC 1.05A. Pursuant to Rule 27(f) of the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Supreme Court now seeks comments from the bench, the bar, and the public on the proposed amendment to URCCC 1.05A. Comments should be filed with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Gartin Justice Building, P.O. Box 249, Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0249, no later than Monday, December 22, 2008.

The 21st Judicial District Drug Court will celebrate its second graduation with a ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the second floor courtroom at the Yazoo County Courthouse, 209 East Broadway St., in Yazoo City.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission will meet Monday, Nov. 17, at noon at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson.

The 16th District Chancery Court will celebrate a special Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Jackson County Courts Building on Convent Avenue in Pascagoula.

The Commission for Study of Domestic Abuse Proceedings will meet at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

Harrison County Chancery Court will celebrate a special Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport. November is National Adoption Month.

A panel of judges of the Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene court on the Mississippi State University campus in Starkville on Nov. 19 to hear oral arguments in two cases. Arguments are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Hunter Henry Center.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission will conduct a public hearing about the unmet civil legal needs of poor people on Oct. 20 in Greenwood. The public hearing is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. at the Leflore County Civic Center at 200 Hwy 7 North in Greenwood.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed Jackson attorney Pieter Teeuwissen as a special judge to assist the Seventh Circuit Court of Hinds County with its criminal docket.

Eleven special judges will be appointed on Thursday, Oct. 9, to hear civil cases related to Hurricane Katrina in Jackson County.

Orders of the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals filed on or after Sept. 25, 2008, can be viewed via the Internet.

This matter is before the Court en banc on the petition to amend Regulation 3.3 of the Mississippi Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education filed by the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The Commission requests that Regulation 3.3 be amended to allow additional continuing legal education credit for participation in online and telephonic continuing legal education programs. The proposed amendment also corrects a technical error by the deletion of an outdated reference. After due consideration, the Court finds that the petition should be granted.

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Courts has selected the Forrest County Youth Court to participate in a program which will examine the local court’s practices, find ways for improvement, and offer the improvements as a model for other state courts.

This matter is before the Court, en banc, on the motion to adopt the Rule For Expedited Small Claims filed by the Advisory Committee on Rules. The Rule would provide for expedited resolution of civil cases seeking damages under $50,000. This proposal has been posted for public comment, and the Court has received and considered comments from the public. After due consideration, the Court finds that the motion should be granted in part only to implement a pilot program utilizing the Rule For Expedited Small Claims as described below and limited to use in the county courts of three Mississippi counties: Jones, Lee, andRankin.

A panel of judges of the Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene court in Columbia on Sept. 30 to hear oral arguments in two cases. Arguments are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Circuit Court courtroom at the Marion County Courthouse.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMMENTS REGARDING PROPOSED YOUTH COURT RULES. Pursuant to Rule 27(f) of the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Supreme Court now seeks comments from the bench, the bar, and the public on the proposed Uniform Rules of Youth Court Practice. Comments should be filed with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Gartin Justice Building, P.O. Box 249, Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0249, no later than Monday, September 29, 2008.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission will meet Monday, Aug. 25, at noon at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson.

The Commission for Study of Domestic Abuse Proceedings will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 11 a.m. at the new Gartin Justice Building at 450 High Street in Jackson. The meeting will be held in the fourth floor large conference room.

A $10,000 grant from the Mississippi Bar Foundation will help a group of lawyers and judges to complete their work drafting recommendations for statewide uniform criminal rules.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice James W. Smith Jr. was honored July 18 for his lifetime work protecting the interests of children. He was presented the Lookin’ to the Future Award during a ceremony in Natchez.

The Mississippi Supreme Court will recognize Circuit Judge Henry Lackey of Calhoun City this year with its highest honor, the 2008 Chief Justice Award. The award will be presented July 19 at the conclusion of the Mississippi Bar Convention in Destin, Fla.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed two new full-time special judges to assist the Seventh Circuit Court of Hinds County with its criminal case docket.

In response to the Mississippi Legislature’s directive, Supreme Court Chief Justice James W. Smith Jr. has called for appointments to a task force which will study proper preservation of DNA evidence.

The Task Force for Youth Court Rules of Procedure on July 1 submitted its report and recommendations to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Recently amended rules to become effective July 1, 2008.

A commission created to study laws and rules related to domestic abuse will hold its first meeting Wednesday, June 25, at 11 a.m. at the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed Glenn S. Swartzfager of Brandon as director of the Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission will meet Monday, June 16, at 10 a.m. at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered a comprehensive study of laws and rules related to domestic abuse.

Members of the Mississippi Supreme Court will soon deliver checks totaling $180,000 from the Civil Legal Assistance Fund to help poor people seek civil legal representation.

Change in Location for All Oral Arguments before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. Ongoing repairs from recent water damage render both courtrooms in the new Carroll Gartin Justice Building unusable until further notice.

The new Gartin Justice Building in Jackson experienced widespread flooding on all floors during the late evening of Tuesday, May 6, or early morning hours of Wednesday, May 7.

The Rule of Law Conference previously scheduled for May 14 at the Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson has been postponed. The conference is expected to be rescheduled for a later date. No new date has been announced.

Media military analyst and former national drug policy director Barry McCaffrey is among the speakers scheduled for the Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals annual conference in Biloxi. McCaffrey will speak at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, in the Magnolia Room at the Beau Rivage Hotel.

The U.S. Army Reserve 3rd Personnel Command will present the Meritorious Service Medal to Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Virginia Carlton at a ceremony in Jackson on Sunday, April 27. The presentation will be at 11 a.m. at the Walter Scott Reserve Center at 180 Walter Bernard Avenue in Jackson.

Unmet civil legal needs of low-income Mississippians will be the topic of a public hearing April 18 at the Good Deeds Community Center at 15101 Madison Street in Gulfport. The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission will hear testimony from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

A panel of judges of the Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene court in Oxford at the University of Mississippi School of Law to hear law students argue two cases on April 22.

The 19th Circuit Drug Court will celebrate a graduation at 6 p.m. April 10 in the second floor courtroom at the George County Courthouse, 355 Cox Street in Lucedale.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James E. Graves Jr. will be the keynote speaker Feb. 28 in Natchez at a graduation ceremony for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Adult Drug Court. The ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. in the Sunset Ballroom at the Isle of Capri Hotel at 645 South Canal Street.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission during a Feb. 25 meeting in Jackson will review developments in a public awareness program designed to call attention to the civil legal needs of poor people.

Copiah County Circuit Court is conducting its proceedings in alternative facilities while the historic courthouse in Hazlehurst undergoes renovation.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed a fourth special judge to assist the Seventh Circuit Court of Hinds County with its criminal docket.

Members of the Mississippi Supreme Court will soon deliver checks totaling $150,000 to civil legal assistance programs which help poor people seek access to justice.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed a third special judge to assist the Seventh Circuit Court of Hinds County with its criminal docket, and will soon appoint a fourth.

Notice about February Relocation of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Board of Bar Admissions, and Related Offices. From Friday, February 8, 2008, through Monday, February 11, 2008, the Supreme Court of Mississippi, the Court of Appeals, the Board of Bar Admissions, and related offices are scheduled to move into the new Gartin Building. This move will affect the courts’ services and activities in several ways.

The Mississippi Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court Clerk, Administrative Office of Courts, Board of Bar Admissions and the Commission on Continuing Legal Education are moving into a new building starting Friday, Feb. 8.

The Task Force for Youth Court Rules of Procedure convened on Jan. 7 in Jackson to discuss uniform rules for the state’s Youth Courts.