And now for something completely different

It's March 1, 2011, and I am pleased to announce my Independent candidacy for Justice Court Judge in Forrest County's First Justice Court District.  This District stretches across the western portion of Forrest County, and includes 19th Avenue west to the Lamar County line, Dixie, Brooklyn, and Elks Lake, down to the Stone County line.

I'm running as an Independent because we don't need our judicial process tainted by partisan politics.  Did you know that our Justice Court judges are the only judges in the state elected by a partisan process?  The reason for this is that Justice Court judges are not considered judicial officers under state law!  I can tell you that my clients are shocked to learn this; a DUI trial in justice court, or a small-claims suit in justice court, feels plenty judicial to us!

If you paid attention to the Chicago mayoral election, you saw the poisonous danger of partisan judicial elections.  The Christian Science Monitor details the Illinois partisan judicial selection process, and talks about its impact on the mayoral election.  Our judicial elections for Circuit, Chancery, County, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court judges are non-partisan for a very good reason: we don't want political party leadership telling us who will be our judges.

Join me in my quest to continue the fine tradition of service in our Justice Courts, and help break the partisan stranglehold on justice court.

The voters have spoken...

I'm not going to finish Mo Udall's famous quote after he got voted out of office.  The fact of the matter is, yesterday's election was handled about as well as can be expected.  I think the candidates generally behaved admirably under difficult circumstances.  Judge Thomas polled about 28,000 votes, and the write-in candidates collectively polled 20,000 votes.  The biggest wins for Judge Thomas came in Pearl River County and Lamar County, where he beat all the rest of us by a 2-1 margin.  The write-ins only carried Forrest County.

I want to thank every one who voted yesterday, especially those who voted for me and those who supported me.  I will be running for judge again.  The governor will now be appointing a chancellor for the district, and we will have a special election during next year's general election.  We may in fact be looking at what will be the most expensive judicial election in Mississippi history next year.  Deborah Gambrell is already planning her run.  Tom Bates is retiring from Justice Court and will not be running next year.  Gay Polk-Payton will be throwing her hat in the ring for Justice Court.  I'll keep working hard for my clients and working hard with my constituents and fellow candidates.  Hopefully, we can hash out some issues behind the scenes before qualifying in May, 2011.

I'll continue to post here for the next few weeks.  Thanks so much for your support and interest.

Final thoughts before the election

This has been a truly exciting few weeks.  I'm running for judge, working on a Fifth Circuit appeal, and working hard on keeping my wife happy.  I'd like to thank everyone who has made this effort possible and worthwhile, including my campaign manager Bill Adcox and his lovely mother, and his charming wife Melanie.  Also, thanks to Supertalk, Farley, Savanna, Eddy Hubbard, Carsten Cagle, Vistaprint, Fred Drews, Ernestine Alderman, Rhua Dale Williams, SuzAnne Burkhalter, Billy Burkhalter, Chris Hackbarth, Lou Ellen Adams, Leslie Wilson, W. Heath Hillman, Chad Shook, Deborah Gambrell, Sheila Smallwood, John Smallwood, Ron Doleac, Maura McLaughlin, Carol Ann Bustin, Mike Barefield, Nancy Stokes, Leigh Berry, and the fine people at William Carey University who stepped up to the plate to organize a candidate's forum.  Thanks also to WDAM, who did not go out of their way to make me look bad on TV (I know it could be really easy).

Finally, thanks to my lovely and talented wife, Tina Ignatiev.  She has been really supportive of my efforts, and I hope that I will justify her confidence in me.  Let's all get out there and vote for improved accessibility and accountability in our Chancery Courts.

The Supremes have ruled: Write-in elections okay for judges

The 13th Circuit Court District lawsuit was decided today by the Mississippi Supreme Court.  I have not yet read the decision.  More to come!

Jude Lackey refuses to stop write-in for 13th Circuit Court District

Although the 13th Circuit Court lawsuit has different facts than our election, this points to the write-in going forward down here, absent an expedited appeal and stay by the Mississippi Supreme Court.  Can't wait to ask Secretary of State Hosemann about this.

EDIT: More details from the Clarion Ledger.

A Write-In Candidacy for the 10th District

Hello, my friends. I am reopening this blog today. It was announced earlier this week by the State of Mississippi's Board of Election Commissioners that Judge Thomas's vacant post in the 10th Chancery District will be subject to a write-in election. While I and many of the attorneys in the district disagree with this decision, some of us feel the call to service strongly.

I am a candidate for Post One in District Ten. Four years ago, I ran in my first judicial election. It was an important professional and personal experience. Through the process, I met many new friends and learned a great deal about the challenges facing the 10th District. I have served hundreds of clients in the chancery courts since then. I have been appointed as a guardian ad litem in the chancery courts of the 10th and 19th Districts, and in the Youth Court of Forrest County. I am licensed in all courts, state and federal, in Mississippi, including the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

I am presently a member of Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in McComb, and a member of the Holy Cross Mission of the Orthodox Church in America here in Hattiesburg. I serve as the secretary of the parish council at Christ the Saviour, and have done so for the past two years. From 2003 to 2004, I served as the secretary of the Hattiesburg Area Young Lawyer's Association.

I was blessed to marry Tina on May 25th, 2008. Marriage changes a man, and in my case, for the better. While we presently have no children, we have two cats and a dog.

The 10th Chancery District will have many qualified candidates in this election. I am the only candidate under 35 years of age, with a luxurious beard, and a Russian surname.

Thank you for your consideration.