What I Will Do as Chancellor
Many people have asked me what the difference between the candidates is, and one salient question is why I am a better candidate for chancellor than any other attorney who meets the legal qualifications. I have three major distinctions from the other candidates, and two minor distinctions from them.
First, the minor distinctions: I am the youngest candidate by five years, and I have a luxurious beard. These are cosmetic differences, but they are noticeable.
Now for the major distinctions:
The first major distinction is that I have been mentored by Judge Bridges both as his law clerk and now as a guardian-ad-litem in his court. Judge Bridges has been temporarily appointed to Post One since July. The reaction of attorneys and litigants in the district have been uniformly and overwhelmingly positive. This man has taught me how a judge should think and act. His record of service is unimpeachable, beginning with the United States Marine Corps and continuing through his service in Rankin County and finally at the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where I worked for him for 13 months. He is a personal inspiration and a professional inspiration. Whenever I have been fortunate to work with Judge Bridges, I have benefited, and my work has benefited. I don't mean to imply that Judge Bridges in any way supports my candidacy or has any opinion about me as a potential judge. I do mean to imply that I will conduct myself as Judge Bridges conducts himself, both temperamentally and professionally.
The second major distinction is my focus on accessibility. Access to the courts is the most important way to preserve society. Our courts have always been very accessible, but some changes could and should be made. First, I would institute a system using Google Calendar, Facebook, and Twitter, that would notify attorneys and citizens where I am on a particular day. Second, on term days I would stay in the particular county where the term is until 5:00 pm that day (barring unforeseen conflicts), so that attorneys and litigants seeking emergency relief would not be chasing me from courthouse to courthouse. I have as an attorney wasted too much time in traveling around the district seeking a judge for emergency relief where even the court administrator could not tell me where the judge was. When a judge is on the road in this day and age, he is unable to be contacted. By staying in Poplarville, or New Augusta, or Columbia, or Purvis for the entire day, I will be able to better aid the District. Third, I will set up a dedicated, secure email address for the presentment of proposed orders by counsel. No more shuffling through the inbox for a piece of paper.
The third major distinction is continuity. I have expressly pledged to retain Judge Thomas's staff, if they wish to remain. Barbie Parham and Patsy Ainsworth are two of the finest people I know, and they were a large part of Judge Thomas's success as our chancellor. I don't have to displace them, because I don't have a secretary or any staff that have to come with me to the Court or lose their jobs.
First, the minor distinctions: I am the youngest candidate by five years, and I have a luxurious beard. These are cosmetic differences, but they are noticeable.
Now for the major distinctions:
The first major distinction is that I have been mentored by Judge Bridges both as his law clerk and now as a guardian-ad-litem in his court. Judge Bridges has been temporarily appointed to Post One since July. The reaction of attorneys and litigants in the district have been uniformly and overwhelmingly positive. This man has taught me how a judge should think and act. His record of service is unimpeachable, beginning with the United States Marine Corps and continuing through his service in Rankin County and finally at the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where I worked for him for 13 months. He is a personal inspiration and a professional inspiration. Whenever I have been fortunate to work with Judge Bridges, I have benefited, and my work has benefited. I don't mean to imply that Judge Bridges in any way supports my candidacy or has any opinion about me as a potential judge. I do mean to imply that I will conduct myself as Judge Bridges conducts himself, both temperamentally and professionally.
The second major distinction is my focus on accessibility. Access to the courts is the most important way to preserve society. Our courts have always been very accessible, but some changes could and should be made. First, I would institute a system using Google Calendar, Facebook, and Twitter, that would notify attorneys and citizens where I am on a particular day. Second, on term days I would stay in the particular county where the term is until 5:00 pm that day (barring unforeseen conflicts), so that attorneys and litigants seeking emergency relief would not be chasing me from courthouse to courthouse. I have as an attorney wasted too much time in traveling around the district seeking a judge for emergency relief where even the court administrator could not tell me where the judge was. When a judge is on the road in this day and age, he is unable to be contacted. By staying in Poplarville, or New Augusta, or Columbia, or Purvis for the entire day, I will be able to better aid the District. Third, I will set up a dedicated, secure email address for the presentment of proposed orders by counsel. No more shuffling through the inbox for a piece of paper.
The third major distinction is continuity. I have expressly pledged to retain Judge Thomas's staff, if they wish to remain. Barbie Parham and Patsy Ainsworth are two of the finest people I know, and they were a large part of Judge Thomas's success as our chancellor. I don't have to displace them, because I don't have a secretary or any staff that have to come with me to the Court or lose their jobs.
Labels: Policies
posted by Unknown at 12:31 PM
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