The primary approaches

The primary election is August 2, 2011.  The next day, we will face a whole new election.  Let's consider what we want for Justice Court in Forrest County, Mississippi.  Let's remember that the independence of the judiciary is the only protection we have as citizens against the legislature and the executive.  We should remember that an independent judiciary was one of the causes of our Founders.

Two Meet the Candidate events in July

On July 12, at 5 pm in the Thad Cochran Center, Supertalk MS 97.3 is sponsoring an event.  Come meet your candidates for Forrest County.

Then, on July 14, at the Jackie Dole Sherill Center in Hattiesburg, the Hattiesburg Council of Neighborhoods is hosting a meet and greet beginning at 7 pm. 

Meet the Candidate at the University Heights Neighborhood Association Meeting

This Thursday, May 26, 2011, the University Heights Neighborhood Association will have a regular meeting at University Baptist Church at 7 pm.  The candidates have been invited to the meeting.  I look forward to meeting the residents of that neighborhood that I have not had the pleasure to meet.  I hope to see my friends from the neighborhood there as well.

What does a Justice Court Judge Do?

Many people have been in justice court, but few understand the breadth of the justice court's jurisdiction.  For starters, justice court judges are elected from districts within a county, that they don't have to live in.  I don't live in District 1, where I am running as a candidate.  Instead, I live in district 3, where I am not a candidate.  I'll explain my reasons for that in a future post.  However, the physical jurisdiction of all justice court judges extend to the county line.

Justice Court has non-exclusive jurisdiction over all civil matters up to $3,500.00 that are not otherwise in the exclusive jurisdiction of another court.  Justice Court also conducts initial appearances and bond hearings in felony cases, tries misdemeanors outside the city limits, and hears citations from DFW, the Highway Patrol, MDOT tickets, and Marine Resources citations.  Check out Jackson County's informational page on Justice Court.  Justice Court judges also issue warrants.

To my mind, the most important things that Justice Court Judges do are initial hearings, warrants, and evictions.  Why?  Because these three things have the most impact on everyday people in Justice Court.  In Mississippi, every person in custody has a right to see a judge within 48 hours of his arrest.  Sometimes, this doesn't happen. I hear horror stories from other counties about people who have been in jail for up to a week without seeing a judge.  Thankfully, that is not a problem in Forrest County, where our judges are dedicated public servants.

The signing of warrants is an important and often overlooked duty of justice court judges.  Warrants are an important protection of both those accused of crimes and of the police officers investigating crimes and the victims of crime.  Warrants are a certificate from a judicial officer stating that he has reviewed the allegations and based upon sworn testimony of an officer determined that there is probable cause for an arrest, or a search.  This safeguard protects the judicial system, the accused, and the victim from potential abuses by allowing a judge to examine an officer's reasons for arresting or searching.  So often we see in TV shows that officers are waiting around for warrants to be signed; judges should be available to review warrants around the clock.  Our justice court judges have a history of providing this service for our community, and I intend to continue it.

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.

Where do we go from here

The Governor has announced that applications and recommendations for Judge Thomas's open seat are being taken until November 30.

I spoke with Barbie Parham yesterday.  At present, Judges Dale, Fair, and Williams are doing what they can to help with Judge Thomas's docket.  But we are languishing here.  And people are suffering.  Governor Barbour, I hope that you will soon appoint someone, both for this expiring term and for next year.  We need a judge badly.

Thoughts on the election

Those of you that have followed this election know that I got whupped pretty good.  The big surprise is that Deborah Gambrell was so strong in each county, and that she took Forrest County by such a margin.  Congratulations to Deborah on running such a strong race.

Results from Pearl River County show that the write-in was a fiasco.