State of Mississippi Judiciary

Notice of Holiday Closure on November 22 and 23, and December 24, 25, and 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019
October 23, 2018

Mississippi Courts Newsletter - October 2018
November 2, 2018

Upcoming Retirement and Investiture Ceremonies
November 8, 2018

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

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.

The Family First Initiative Metro Advisory Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson to discuss a pilot program aimed at preventing child neglect and reducing the number of children who are placed in foster care.

The Family First Initiative Metro Advisory Council has scheduled three meetings to discuss a pilot program aimed at preventing child neglect and reducing the number of children who are removed from their homes and placed in foster care.

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.

An organization working to prevent child neglect gathered at the Supreme Court on Friday to discuss strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to their efforts.

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.

The Family First Initiative Advisory Council for Jackson County will hold its first meeting Aug. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Jackson County campus in Gautier. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria.

The Family First Initiative Advisory Council for Bolivar County will hold its first meeting Aug. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in Cleveland in the Jacob Conference Center of Ewing Hall on the campus of Delta State University.

The Family First Initiative Advisory Council for Lee County will hold its first meeting Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lee County Justice Center, 200 West Jefferson Street in Tupelo.

The Family First Initiative Advisory Council for Pearl River County will hold its first meeting Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Pearl River Community College, 101 Highway 11 North, Poplarville.

The Family First Initiative Advisory Council for Lauderdale County will hold its first meeting Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Riley Center in Meridian.

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.