Page 15 - Demo

credit as anybody else for the creation ofthe Court of Appeals and the Administrative Office,%u201d Judge Mills said. Former HouseJudiciary B Chairman Ed Blackmon also wasinstrumental in passage. %u201cNone of this wouldhave happened without Ed.%u201d %u201cIt was very hard for African Americans to get elected to judgeships under thedistricts that we had at that time and theway that the posts were set up, so we creatednew slots and new posts and new positionsto allow people of color to also be electedjudges as opposed to being appointed,%u201d JudgeMills said.The final hurdle for creating the Courtof Appeals was gaining approval of then-Gov.Kirk Fordice. Proponents feared that Fordice,who had run on a platform of creating no newprograms, would veto the legislation. JudgeMills said he and Grady Tollison went to seethe Governor. %u201cI said from a businessman%u2019sstandpoint, it is to work on the inventory,that we%u2019ve got this inventory that%u2019s pilingup and these cases are building up and wedon%u2019t have the manpower to do it,%u201d JudgeMills recalled. %u201cHe understood that and hetold us that he would sign the bill into law.That%u2019s how it happened.%u201dThe legislation was signed on April 6,1994. On Nov. 8, 1994, 10 judges wereelected to the new court in non-partisanraces.Former Judge Payne, a former lawprofessor and Dean of Mississippi CollegeSchool of Law, recalled campaigning in 19counties and having to explain what the newcourt was as well as who she was. %u201cI am stillconvinced that getting this job is harder thandoing it, although doing it is hard,%u201d she said.Former Judge Diaz, who was electedfrom a district on the Gulf Coast, said,%u201cBeing elected was the second most important thing that happened to me that day.%u201d Herecalled watching election results with hiswife Jennifer when she said, %u201cIt%u2019s time.%u201d SheJudges' Military ServiceJames P. Brantley, U.S. Air ForceVirginia Carter Carlton, U.S. Army, JudgeAdvocate General%u2019s Corps; Army Reserve;Mississippi National Guard; Military JudgeThomas Coleman, U.S. ArmyEugene Fair, U.S. Navy, Judge AdvocateGeneral%u2019s CorpsJim Greenlee, U.S. Navy, and prior to joiningthe Court of Appeals, served as UnitedStates Attorney for the Northern Districtof MississippiJames H. Herring, U.S. Army, Judge AdvocateGeneral%u2019s Corps; Army ReserveGreg Hinkebein, U.S. Army; MississippiNational GuardRoger McMillan, U.S. NavyWilliam Myers, U.S. ArmyLarry Roberts, U.S. Army ReservesErmea Jean %u201cEJ%u201d Russell, U.S. Army ReservesLeslie H. Southwick, U.S. Army Reserves,Judge Advocate General%u2019s Corps;Mississippi National GuardCourt of Appeals Judges Who LaterServed on the Fifth Circuit Court ofAppealsLeslie H. SouthwickCory T. WilsonCourt of Appeals Judges Who LaterServed on the Mississippi Supreme CourtDavid ChandlerLeslie KingJames %u201cJimmy%u201d Maxwell IIDavid IsheeT. Kenneth GriffisCourt of Appeals Judges Who PreviouslyServed as Trial Court JudgesBilly G. Bridges, Chancellor of the 20thChancery DistrictJohn Emfinger, Circuit Judge of the 20thCircuit DistrictEugene Fair, Chancellor of the 10th ChanceryDistrictTrial Court Judges (continued)Ceola James, Chancellor of the 9th ChanceryDistrictLarry Roberts, Circuit Judge of the 10th CircuitDistrictJames E. Thomas, Circuit Judge of the 2ndCircuit DistrictJudges Who Previously Served in theMississippi LegislatureOliver E. Diaz, Mississippi House ofRepresentativesLeslie King, Mississippi House ofRepresentativesSean J. Tindell, Mississippi Senate (currentlyserving as Commissioner of theDepartment of Public Safety)Cory T. Wilson, Mississippi House ofRepresentativesLegacy of ServiceMississippi's Court of Appeals judges have served our Country and State in many ways %u2013 in elected office, in uniform, and more.Source: Public Information Office, Administrative Office of the CourtsSPRING 2025 15