This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.
- Incumbent Justice Kitchens has served on the state Supreme Court since 2008. State Sen. Branning, three others look to unseat him this November.
Five candidates are vying for the District 1 Place 3 Mississippi Supreme Court seat this year.
Candidates in the non-partisan race include the incumbent, Presiding Justice James W. Kitchens, State Senator Jenifer Branning, and Mississippi-based attorneys Byron Carter, Ceola James and Abby Gale Robinson.
Residents who will be voting in this race live in the counties of Bolivar, Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Madison, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo.
The election will be held this year on November 5.
James W. Kitchens
The incumbent is a native of Crystal Springs and was first elected to the seat in 2008. He was re-elected in 2016.
Prior to his service on the state Supreme Court, Kitchens practiced law and served as District Attorney for the counties of Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall. Kitchens served as DA for nine years before returning to private practice and then seeking his current position as a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice.
Magnolia Tribune sought comment from Justice Kitchens but no response was received.
Jenifer Branning
Jenifer Branning of Philadelphia has been serving as a State Senator since 2016. She told Magnolia Tribune that her 20 years of experience as an attorney advocating for children who have been abused or neglected has shown her the problems people face in the state.
Branning said her time in the Senate has given her a chance to address a number of the state’s issues. However, she understands a Supreme Court Justice has a much different role to play in society.
“I well understand that on the south side of High Street that’s where legislation is supposed to occur, on the north side of High Street that is where the justices are supposed to just follow the law that’s put in place,” Branning said.
Her decision to run for the Supreme Court seat stems from her desire for the state to reach its full potential.
“I’ve got three sons and I desperately want to see our state be the best it can be so that my children will want to live and work and raise their families in Mississippi,” she described.
As a self-described constitutional conservative, she believes the public should make an informed decision before heading to the polls, just like they would for more high-profile races.
“Many people don’t realize this is an eight-year term. So, we’ve got to be sure that we’re all making the right decision in this race,” Branning elaborated.
Her judicial philosophy is that justices have a duty to follow the law as it is written and not to take away or add to it.
“It is important for the preservation of our society that our justices act within the parameters for which is intended,” she said.
Branning described the public response to her candidacy as overwhelming, garnering the attention of Mississippians who are normally not concerned with politics.
“I think the fact that there are five people in the race should tell the public that, ‘Hey, the people are ready for a change,’” Branning said. “I stand ready and willing to be the voice on the court that the people can count on to be a constitutional conservative. This is a very important race for our state.”
One of her proudest accomplishments during her time in the Senate involves working to keep the government in check and cut red tape. An example includes legislation Branning worked on as part of her service as the Chair of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee. In that role, she worked took on the state’s limiting of harvest permits. The limits put restrictive caps on the weights of goods a farmer could haul, affecting the pocketbooks of Magnolia State farmers as surrounding states had less restrictive limits. Mississippi’s status as an agricultural state, and Branning’s upbringing in the rural county of Neshoba, meant addressing that problem was near and dear to her heart.
To learn more about Branning, visit her website.
Byron Carter
Byron Carter is a practicing attorney with three decades of experience. He is a resident of Byram.
Carter served as a law clerk for former Presiding Justice Armis Hawkins in the 1980s, according to his campaign.
He described himself to Magnolia Tribune as educated, ethical and the only candidate who has experience as a former clerk for the Mississippi Supreme Court. Carter is also an Eagle Scout, board member of the Kids’ Chance of Mississippi, and a certified moderator for claims with the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Mississippi Bar.
“My experience is unparalleled by any other challenger,” Carter said. “I look forward to putting an NRA member, second amendment supporter, and Eagle Scout on the Supreme Court should the voters decide that what I provide to them is what they want on the bench.”
According to information posted on his campaign website, Carter believes the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sheds light on the fact that a state’s Supreme Court will face tough decisions in relation to challenges to abortion bans, redistricting, climate change and voting laws.
For more on Carter, visit his website.
Ceola James
Ceola James is an attorney who also has experience as a Mississippi Court of Appeals judge, judge for the Ninth District Chancery Court, Special Master Judge and Justice Court Judge in Warren County, her campaign website cites.
She told Magnolia Tribune that she brings experience as a trial attorney and has practiced law in civil and criminal cases.
“I came from humble beginnings and worked my way up the ladder, mostly pulling myself up by my own bootstraps,” James said. “If elected, I would be fair to all litigants, regardless of their station in life. I would also work hard to uphold the trust that the voters place in me. It would be both an honor and a privilege for the voters of Mississippi to elect me.”
More about James can be found by visiting her campaign website.
Abby Gale Robinson
Abby Gale Robinson did not respond to a request for comment and information by press time.
She does not have a political campaign website.
Campaign contributions
A campaign finance report filed with the Secretary of State’s office under the Committee to Re-elect James ‘Jim’ Kitchens PAC show his campaign has received $87,437 in donations, of which $48,857 has been spent as of the filing deadline of July 10.
The Committee to Elect Jenifer Branning’s July 10 filing shows her campaign has received $530,691. As of that date $74,543 has been spent, leaving a balance of $446,148. The report states her campaign has also received $3,094 of in-kind contributions.
Byron Carter’s campaign finance report shows he has received $5,895 in contributions and spent $9,142 so far. A separate report shows his campaign also took out a loan totaling $11,569.
The campaign finance report for Ceola James indicates that her campaign contributions total $934, all of which was spent by the filing date.
Robinson is the only candidate to report no campaign contributions, according to a report filed with the Secretary of State on July 9.
This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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