Two of four open Mississippi Supreme Court seats are being contested, with five candidates battling for a northern district position.
While southern district incumbent Justice Dawn Beam is running head-to-head against Gulfport attorney David Sullivan in District 2, the northern district’s incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens faces a full stable of contenders to retain his seat. The latter race took the spotlight at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday in front of District 1 voters.
In a relatively quiet statewide election year, a packed Founder’s Pavilion was keener than usual on the nonpartisan court seat race as one of their own, Neshoba County native Jenifer Branning, is aiming to unseat Kitchens. While Kitchens and Branning drew the most attention, two of the three other challengers spoke and emphasized a wealth of experience.
Byron Carter, a Houston, Miss. native and practicing attorney in Byram, batted leadoff in the lineup of speakers. While Carter doesn’t possess judicial experience, he used the bulk of his time allotment to note his experience in writing appeals and working on appellate cases.
“The Mississippi Supreme Court is our final court of appeals, so it’s extremely important that we have someone that’s conservative-leaning because we follow the law and don’t make the law,” Carter said. “I’ve handled more appeals than anybody in this race.”
Carter was followed by trial attorney and former Mississippi Court of Appeals judge Ceola James. While she drew some calls from the crowd to remove her face mask because the audience was unable to hear her speak, James was undeterred. She noted her experience as a trial attorney who has practiced both civil and criminal law, along with lengthy judicial experience. James also made a point to emphasize her Christian faith, quoting the Lord’s Prayer and several Bible verses.
Perhaps the largest cheer of the day came when Neshoba native Jenifer Branning took the stage. With the upcoming presidential election commanding the attention of most politicos, the Philadelphia native and current state senator reminded voters of the importance of court elections this season.
“I fully realize the presidential election
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