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The Mississippi Lawyer Summer 2015 7 T he phone call to the fifty-three year old lawyer came directly from the Honorable Claude Clayton the sole judge for the United States District Court in the Northern District of Mississippi back in 1966. I know you dont handle criminal cases and I know your plate is full from the recent death of your senior partner and your duties as president of the school board but I need to appoint you to defend an elderly postmistress indicted for embezzlement. Known for his brilliance feared for his temperament and respected for his fairness Judge Clayton was not one to disappoint. Without hesitation the already over-burdened lawyer said that of course he would accept the appoint- ment. The initial jailhouse interview left the lawyer disconsolate. Never before in any legal trouble the sweet elderly postal employee promptly admitted stealing money to support her grandchildren recently removed from the custody of their neer do well parents. She had no defense. The lawyer explained that her only hope was to confess plead guilty and ask for mercy from Judge Clayton. At the sentencing hearing Judge Clayton was uncharacteristically sympa- thetic. He explained that ordinarily he would order probation noting that the defendants prior record was spotless that she was remorseful and that he was satisfied that she would never again break the law. However she had no job no family support and no place to live. Therefore he solemnly announced he had no choice but to remand her to the custody of the U. S. Marshal to serve a five- year prison sentence. As the marshal took her by the arm the defendant began sobbing quietly. The lawyer asked Judge Clayton for permission to address the court before the defen- dant was taken away but first requested a five-minute recess which Judge Clayton granted. Court reconvened in five minutes. The lawyer stood and told the court that he had conferred with his wife and if His Honor would allow it the defendant Roy D. Campbell III President of The Mississippi Bar 2015-2016 Continued on next page Welcoming the 110th President of The Mississippi Bar Roy D. Campbell III Jackson Mississippi