Supreme Court of Mississippi

Supreme Court of Mississippi
Mississippi Supreme Court
Established 1841
Jurisdiction Mississippi Mississippi, United States United States
Location Jackson, Mississippi
Composition method Nonpartisan election
Authorized by Mississippi Constitution
Decisions are appealed to Supreme Court of the United States
Judge term length Eight years
Chief Justice
Currently William L. Waller, Jr.

The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was created in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817. Initially it was known as the "High Court of Errors and Appeals." The Court is an appellate court, as opposed to a trial court; thus, the Court's primary function is judicial review. The Court building is located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital.

Contents

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the Court is mandated by state statute. The Court has exclusive jurisdiction, for example, over reviewing capital punishment cases. The Mississippi Court of Appeals, the state's other appellate court, was created by the Legislature (Miss. Code Ann. § 9-4-1, effective September 6, 1994) to assist the high court in managing a large caseload. The Court of Appeals generally handles criminal cases and cases concerning family law issues, though its jurisdiciton is also mandated by statute. All cases submitted for appellate review in the state are filed in the Supreme Court, which then re-directs the appropriate cases to the Court of Appeals and retains the cases over which it has exclusive jurisdiction. After the Court of Appeals makes its ruling, aggrieved parties in certain types of cases there may seek further review from the Mississippi Supreme Court by petitioning for a Writ of Certiorari.

Court composition

The Court is made up of a total of nine justices - one chief, two presiding, and six associate justices. Generally, the justices are elected for eight-year terms, with staggered election years, from three geographical districts (three judges per district) to ensure fair representation. However, it is common for the governor of the state (currently Haley Barbour) to appoint a justice to fill a seat vacated by the death or retirement of a justice. If less than half of the term remains, the appointee serves the remainder of the term. If more than half of the term remains, the appointee may serve until a special election is held. Seniority of the justices is determined by length of time in office. The chief justice is the current justice who has been in office the longest, and the presiding justices are next two in seniority.

Sitting Justices

The current Mississippi Supreme Court, in order of seniority, includes:

  • Chief Justice William L. Waller, Jr.
  • Presiding Justice George C. Carlson, Jr.
  • Presiding Justice Jess H. Dickinson
  • Associate Justice Mike K. Randolph
  • Associate Justice Ann Hannaford Lamar
  • Associate Justice James W. Kitchens
  • Associate Justice David A. Chandler
  • Associate Justice Randy G. Pierce
  • Associate Justice Leslie D. King

Currently, Lamar is the only woman justice and King is the only African-American justice, though neither is the first such justice to serve on the Court. The first woman justice was Lenore Prather, who became Chief Justice; the first African-American, Reuben Anderson. To date, no female African-American justice has served on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Supreme Court of California — Seal of the Supreme Court of California Established 1849 Jurisdiction …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania — Judges seats in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court s chambers in the Pennsylvania State Capitol Established May 22, 1722 …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Nevada — Jurisdiction United States …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Missouri — Missouri Supreme Court State Seal of Missouri Established 1841 Jurisdiction Missouri …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Ohio — Ohio Supreme Court Seal of the Supreme Court of Ohio Established 1841 Jurisdiction O …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia — West Virginia Supreme Court Seal of the West Virginia Supreme Court Established 1863; 1872 Jurisdiction West Virginia …   Wikipedia

  • State supreme court — This article discusses the state supreme courts in the United States. See Australian court hierarchy for the counterparts in Australian states. See Supreme court for the highest court in a country. In the United States, the state supreme court… …   Wikipedia

  • New Jersey Supreme Court — Supreme Court of New Jersey Established 1947 in current form Location Trenton, New Jersey Composition method Executive appointment with legislative confirmation Authorized by New Jersey State Constitution …   Wikipedia

  • United States Supreme Court Building — Supreme Court Building U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States — The Supreme Court of the United States handed down six per curiam opinions during its 2004 term, which lasted from October 4, 2004 until October 3, 2005. These were all decisions in which the Court either dismissed a writ of certiorari as… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”