State of Mississippi Judiciary

Judge T. Kenneth Griffis Jr. will take the oath of Chief Judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals Jan. 2 at 11 a.m. in the Court of Appeals Courtroom at the Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson. Judge Griffis has named Court of Appeals Judges Donna M. Barnes and Virginia C. Carlton to serve as Presiding Judges of the Court of Appeals. They will take their oaths immediately after Judge Griffis is sworn in as Chief Judge.

An investiture ceremony for Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Deborah McDonald and Circuit Judge Tomika H. Irving will be held Dec. 27 at 9 a.m. at the Jefferson County High School Auditorium in Fayette.

New 14th District Chancellor Joseph N. Studdard will take the oath of office Jan. 2 at 11 a.m. at the Lowndes County Courthouse in Columbus.

An investiture ceremony for new Chancellor Robert Logan will be held Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Newton County Courthouse in Decatur.

An investiture ceremony for new Lowndes County Court Judge Allison Pritchard Kizer will be held Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. at the Lowndes County Courthouse in Columbus.

An investiture ceremony for new Circuit Judge Tomika H. Irving will be held Dec. 27 at 9 a.m. at Jefferson County High School in Fayette.

An investiture ceremony for new Chancellor Charles E. (Charlie) Smith will be held Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. in Lauderdale County Chancery Court in Meridian.

An investiture ceremony for new 6th District Chancellor Kiley Kirk will be held Jan. 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Winston County Courthouse in Louisville.

An investiture ceremony for new 9th District Chancellor Bennie L. Richard will be held Dec. 28 at 10:30 a.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Washington County Courthouse, 900 South Washington Avenue in Greenville.

An investiture ceremony for new 7th District Chancellor Willie J. Perkins Sr. will be held Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. at the Leflore County Courthouse in Greenwood.

A judicial investiture ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. in the third floor courtroom at the Forrest County Courthouse, 630 Main Street in Hattiesburg.

New 14th District Chancellor Rodney P. Faver will take the oath of office Jan. 4 at 11 a.m. at the Oktibbeha County Chancery Courthouse in Starkville.

New 14th District Chancellor Paula Drungole-Ellis will take the oath of office Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. at the Oktibbeha County Chancery Courthouse in Starkville.

An investiture ceremony for new Chancellor Bradley D. Tennison and new Circuit Judge John R. White will be held Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. at Northeast Mississippi Community College, 101 Cunningham Boulevard in Booneville.

A judicial investiture ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. in the large circuit courtroom in the old Jackson County Courthouse in Pascagoula.

New Ninth District Circuit Judge Toni Walker Terrett will be sworn in Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m. at the Warren County Courthouse, 1009 Cherry Street in Vicksburg.

Judicial oath ceremonies are scheduled for Dec. 18 in Madison County, Dec. 19 in Rankin County, and on Dec. 27 and Jan. 2 in Hinds County.

Chancellors Cynthia L. Brewer, Robert G. Clark III and James C. Walker will take the oath of office in a ceremony scheduled for Dec. 14 at 9:30 a.m. in Madison County Chancery Court in Canton.

The Mississippi Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships is expected to finalize its recommendations for legislation and court rule changes during a meeting that will begin at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

Judicial training will begin Dec. 3 for the largest group of new state court judges in modern times.

Judicially led committees working for the protection of children will meet at the Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson on November 29 and 30.

Attorney Marcie Fyke Baria of Bay St. Louis recently became chair of the Board of Bar Admissions.

Judge T. Kenneth Griffis, Jr. will become the next Chief Judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. announced today.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Chief Judge L. Joseph Lee was recognized Thursday, Nov. 15, for more than seven years of exemplary leadership of the court and 20 years of public service.

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Mary Libby Payne, who inspired and mentored several generations of lawyers, presented her portrait to the court in a ceremony on Nov. 8.

Chief Justice William L. (Bill) Waller Jr. announced today that he will retire on January 31, 2019.

Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. has appointed Col. Silvanus Johnson of Brandon as a lay member of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has made three appointments to the Bar Complaint Tribunal.

Circuit Judge Andrew K. Howorth of Oxford and Jackson County Court Judge Sharon W. Sigalas of Pascagoula have been appointed to the State Drug Courts Advisory Committee.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed a new member to the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions and reappointed two members.

Retired Chancellor Woodrow Wilson Brand, Jr. of Houston died at his home on Nov. 1. He was 85.

Former Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge James P. “Jim” Brantley of Madison died Oct. 31 in an accident at his home. He was 80.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on three college campuses in November. Three-judge panels will hear oral arguments at Rust College on Nov. 7, Alcorn State University on Nov. 13, and Mississippi State University on Nov. 14.

Youth Courts in Forrest and Rankin counties have been approved for grants of $75,000 each to improve services for infants and toddlers.

Chief Judge L. Joseph Lee of the Mississippi Court of Appeals will be honored at a retirement ceremo-ny scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson.

Retired Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Mary Libby Payne will present her portrait to the court in a ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 8.

Chancellor Lawrence Primeaux of Meridian was elected chair of Mississippi’s Conference of Chancery Judges on Oct. 25 at the Fall Trial and Appellate Judges Conference in Jackson.

Retired Chancellor W. O. “Chet” Dillard of Clinton gave free legal advice to help the poor, and continued his work at Mission First Legal Aid even as illness claimed his voice.

A rogue outfit has sent spam e-mails falsely claiming to come from the Administrative Office of Courts and Mississippi Electronic Courts.

The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts will introduce bilingual speakers to the requirements for court interpreting during a seminar scheduled for Sept. 19-20 in Jackson.

Colleagues and friends celebrated former Justice Kay Cobb’s trail-blazing impact on women in the legal profession as they gathered Sept. 6, 2018, to hang her portrait at the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The Mississippi Supreme Court on Sept. 5, 2018, received for display a historic photo composite of the 1902 and 1903 Mississippi Bench and Bar.

The Mississippi Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships will conduct a town hall meeting at 10 a.m. Sept. 7 at Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.

The Mississippi Supreme Court will unveil a portrait of retired Presiding Justice Kay B. Cobb at a 2 p.m. ceremony on Sept. 6 at the Supreme Court Courthouse in Jackson.

The Sentencing Disparity Task Force will meet at 10 a.m. Aug. 30 in the first floor training room at the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Retired Circuit Judge Henry Lafayette Lackey died August 17 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Calhoun City. He was 83.

The Mississippi Reentry Council will meet at 2 p.m. Aug. 17 in the Training Room at the Gartin Justice Building at 450 High Street in Jackson.

Eleven people are expected to graduate from the Third Judicial District Drug Court during a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 14 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the main courtroom.

The Eighth Annual Indian Child Welfare Act Conference will be held Aug. 14 at the Silver Star Convention Center at Choctaw.

The Sentencing Disparity Task Force will meet at 10:30 a.m. July 26 at the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has reappointed four members of the Board of Certified Court Reporters

Retired Chancellor Donald B. Patterson of Brookhaven died July 10. He was 87.

Circuit Judge Prentiss G. Harrell of Hattiesburg is the recipient of the 2018 Chief Justice Award.

Children jumped in a colorful bouncy house, scrambled through an inflatable obstacle course and petted a pair of miniature horses on the grounds of the Rankin County Juvenile Justice Center in Pelahatchie on Friday, June 29.

The Rankin County Youth Court will celebrate Family Reunification Day June 29 with a ceremony and activities starting at 11 a.m. at the Rankin County Juvenile Justice Center, 100 Court Cove in Pelahatchie.

The Mississippi Supreme Court recently appointed six new members to the Access to Justice Commission and reappointed two members.

Free family law clinics are scheduled in Copiah, Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties in late June and July.

Mississippi Supreme Court Clerk Muriel B. Ellis will retire June 30 after more than 27 years of service to the court.

The Hinds County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council has begun work to bring about improvements in the criminal justice system.

Author Anne Webster will discuss Mississippians’ involvement in World War I during a presentation at the State Law Library in Jackson at 10 a.m. June 22.

Free family law clinics will be held in Cleveland, Greenwood and Clarksdale in June as part of a statewide Access to Justice effort to help poor people find legal representation.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will be the guest speaker at the Jones County Bar Association meeting at noon May 30 at the Laurel Country Club.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will speak at 11 a.m. May 28 in Batesville during the Memorial Day program at the Veterans Memorial in the town square.

Thirty free family law clinics are scheduled across the state during June, which is Access to Justice Month.

Twenty people who have spent at least three years under the supervision of the 14th Circuit Drug Court will graduate on Monday, May 21.

Madison County Court Judge Ed Hannan has been re-elected as chairman of the Conference of County Court Judges. Washington County Court Judge Vernita King Johnson was re-elected as vice-chair and Lauderdale County Court Judge Veldore Young Graham was re-elected as secretary of the Conference.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice David M. Ishee will be the guest speaker on May 18 at the 15th Circuit Drug Court’s graduation ceremony in Picayune. The 10 a.m. graduation program will be held at Resurrection Life Church, 795 Memorial Boulevard in Picayune.

A free family law clinic will be held June 7 in Oxford to assist north Mississippi residents with uncontested divorce, guardianships, name change, emancipation and simple wills.

Free family law clinics are scheduled in June in Alcorn, Itawamba and Lee counties.

The American Association of Law Libraries has selected State Librarian Stephen Parks of Jackson as a recipient of the 2018 Emerging Leader Award.

Circuit Judge John Emfinger of Brandon has been elected chairman of the Conference of Circuit Court Judges. Circuit Judge Lisa P. Dodson of Gulfport was elected vice-chair, and Circuit Judge Tony Mozingo of Oak Grove was elected secretary-treasurer.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of the University of Mississippi on April 25 at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. to hear oral arguments.

Hinds County Circuit Judge Joseph Anthony Sclafani took the oath of office April 23.

Joseph Anthony Sclafani will be sworn in at 11 a.m. Monday, April 23, as Hinds County Circuit Judge.

Court of Appeals Judge Sean Tindell has served as a Senator, prosecutor and counselor, but the title he likes most is coach.

An investiture ceremony for Court of Appeals Judge Sean J. Tindell is scheduled for April 18 at 5 p.m. at the Hancock County Courthouse in Bay St. Louis.

Fifteen attorneys and five judges were inducted as Fellows of the Mississippi Bar Foundation at a ceremony in Jackson on Thursday evening, April 5.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks will be the keynote speaker April 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Law Students Association scholarship and awards banquet in Oxford.

The Mississippi Legislature has declared June as Access to Justice Month.

Hinds County has seen a 30 percent decrease in court ordered removals of children from parents’ custody in Youth Court cases of suspected abuse and neglect during the past year.

The Mississippi Public Defender Task Force today released a report which takes a critical look at the way indigent criminal defendants are represented in state courts.

Kimberly L. Campbell has been appointed to the Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention.

Mississippi Supreme Court Presiding Justice Jim Kitchens praised Pearl River County officials on Wednesday for forming the seventh full-time public defender office in the state.

The entire Mississippi Supreme Court was present in Long Beach on Feb. 16 to welcome Justice David M. Ishee as the newest member of the court.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University on Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. to hear oral arguments.

Pearl River County Circuit Court recently became the seventh in the state to create a full-time public defender office.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. will be the guest speaker at the Third Judicial District Drug Court graduation Feb. 27 in Oxford. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in the second floor courtroom at the Lafayette County Courthouse.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks will be the keynote speaker at Mississippi Valley State University’s annual Black History Convocation on Feb. 8.

Five members have been appointed to the Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention.

An investiture ceremony for Supreme Court Justice David M. Ishee is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the Gulf Park Campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach.

Nine Rankin County attorneys gave free help to 12 low income people to resolve domestic matters on Friday, Jan. 26, during Rankin County Chancery Court’s first Pro Se Day.

The Mississippi Reentry Council will meet at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Training Room at the Gartin Justice Building at 450 High Street in Jackson.

The Mississippi Encyclopedia is expected be available online later this year, senior editor Ted Ownby said during a discussion of the book on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the State Law Library in Jackson.

Ted Ownby, senior editor of The Mississippi Encyclopedia, will talk about the book on Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the State Law Library in Jackson. The Law Library is on the second floor of the Gartin Justice Building at 450 High Street.

Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd of Jackson and Rep. Angela Cockerham of Magnolia have been appointed to the State Drug Courts Advisory Committee.