Mississippi Court of Appeals

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Judges of the Mississippi Court of Appeals

The Mississippi Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for Mississippi. The court was created by the Mississippi Legislature to relieve a backlog of cases in the Mississippi Supreme Court; it commenced operations in 1995.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals hears and decides appeals from the various trial courts of the state. The cases the court hears are assigned to it by the state supreme court and generally relate to issues where the law is already settled but the facts are in dispute. For this reason, it is known as an "error correction court." The supreme court may review appellate court decisions, but if the supreme court declines review, the decision of the court of appeals stands.

The court's geographic jurisdiction is divided into five districts. Some of the state's counties are divided between districts.

• Published opinions of the Mississippi Court of Appeals can be found here.

 

Mississippi Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	10
Founded:	1995
Salary:	Associates: $168,467
Judicial selection
Method:	Nonpartisan election of judges
Term:	8 years

Judges

There are 10 judges on the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Amy St. Pe	January 6, 2025 - Present
John H. Emfinger	March 3, 2021 - Present	Tate Reeves
John Weddle	October 14, 2024 - Present	Tate Reeves
Latrice Westbrooks	January 2, 2017 - Present	Elected
Anthony Lawrence	January 7, 2019 - Present	Elected
David McCarty	January 7, 2019 - Present	Elected
Virginia Carlton	January 2, 2007 - Present	Elected
Jack Wilson	July 1, 2015 - Present	Phil Bryant
Deborah McDonald	January 7, 2019 - Present	Elected
Donna M. Barnes	2004 - Present	Haley Barbour

Judges of this court are typically listed by seniority. Click the arrows in the "Term" column to sort judges by their dates of service.

Former judges

• Jim Greenlee
• Tyree Irving
• Joseph Lee
• Jimmy Maxwell
• William Myers
• Larry Roberts
• Ermea Russell
• Sean Tindell

Districts

District 1

• Includes the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Desoto, Grenada (split with District 2), Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Oktibbeha (split with District 3), Panola (split with District 2), Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tallahatchie (split with District 2), Tate, Tippah, Tishominto, Union, Webster, and Yalobusha.

Judges

• Position 1 - Vacant
• Position 2 - Donna Barnes

District 2

• Includes the counties of Attala (split with District 3), Bolivar, Carroll, Claiborne, Coahoma, Grenada (split with District 1), Hinds (split with District 4), Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Leake (split with District 3), Leflore, Madison (split with District 3), Montgomery (split with District 1), Panola (split with District 1), Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie (split with District 1), Tunica, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo.

Judges

• Position 1 - Deborah McDonald
• Position 2 - Latrice Westbrooks

District 3

• Includes the counties of Attala (split with District 2), Clarke, Clay, Jasper, Jones (split with District 4), Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake (split with District 2), Lowndes, Madison (split with District 2), Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha (split with District 1), Rankin, Scott, Smith, Wayne (split with District 5) and Winston.

Judges

• Position 1 - Jack Wilson
• Position 2 - Cory Wilson

District 4

• Includes the counties of Adams, Amite, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, Hinds (split with District 2), Jefferson Davis, Jones (split with District 3), Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, Simpson, Walthall and Wilkinson.

Judges

• Position 1 - Virginia Carlton
• Position 2 - David McCarty

District 5

• Includes the counties of Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lamar, Pearl River, Perry, Stone, Wayne (split with District 3).

Judges

• Position 1 - Anthony Lawrence
• Position 2 - Joel Smith

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Mississippi

The judges on the Mississippi Court of Appeals are elected to eight-year terms in nonpartisan elections. All candidates must run in the general election (as Mississippi holds no primary for judicial candidates) and must face re-election if they wish to serve again.

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a qualified elector for and from the district in which election is sought;
• a practicing attorney;
• a minimum of 30 years old; and
• a state citizen for at least five years.

Chief judge

The court's chief judge is selected by the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. They serve four-year terms.

Vacancies

If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, a temporary judge is named by the governor. Appointees serve out the remainder of their predecessor's unexpired term if four or fewer years of the term remain. If there are more than four years remaining, the appointee will run in the next general election, taking place nine months or more after the vacancy occurs. The winner of the election will serve the remainder of the term.

Salary

In 2024, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $168,467, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Elections

2024

See also: Mississippi intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

The terms of three Mississippi intermediate appellate court judges expired on January 5, 2025. The three seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 5, 2024. One of the three seats went to a general runoff election on November 26, 2024. The filing deadline was February 1, 2024.

Candidates and results

District 2-Position 2

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 2 Position 2

Incumbent Latrice Westbrooks won election in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 2 Position 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Latrice Westbrooks (Nonpartisan)	100.0	137,530

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 137,530
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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District 3-Position 1

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 Position 1

Incumbent Jack Wilson won election in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 Position 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jack Wilson (Nonpartisan)	100.0	223,303

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 223,303
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 5-Position 2

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2

Amy St. Pe defeated Jennifer Schloegel in the general runoff election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2 on November 26, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy St. Pe (Nonpartisan)	62.0	18,397
		Jennifer Schloegel (Nonpartisan)	38.0	11,281

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,678
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2

Amy St. Pe and Jennifer Schloegel advanced to a runoff. They defeated Ian Baker in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy St. Pe (Nonpartisan)	35.2	85,870
✔		Jennifer Schloegel (Nonpartisan)	33.0	80,515
		Ian Baker (Nonpartisan)	31.7	77,349

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 243,734
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chad Smith (Nonpartisan)

Judges not on the ballot

■ Joel Smith (District 5-Position 2)

2022

See also: Mississippi intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

The terms of four Mississippi intermediate appellate court judges expired on January 1, 2023. The four seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2022. A general election runoff was scheduled for November 29, 2022.

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 1 Position 1

Incumbent Jim Greenlee won election in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 1 Position 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jim Greenlee (Nonpartisan)	100.0	123,374

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,374
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 Position 2

Incumbent John H. Emfinger won election in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 Position 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	John H. Emfinger (Nonpartisan)	100.0	130,903

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,903
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 4 Position 1

Incumbent Virginia Carlton defeated Bruce Burton in the general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 4 Position 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Virginia Carlton (Nonpartisan)	53.5	59,754
		Bruce Burton (Nonpartisan)	46.5	51,874

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 111,628
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

Special general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2

Incumbent Joel Smith won election in the special general election for Mississippi Court of Appeals District 5 Position 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joel Smith (Nonpartisan)	100.0	126,340

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 126,340
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Clay Caldwell (Nonpartisan)

2018

See also: Mississippi intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

The terms of five Mississippi Court of Appeals judges expired on January 6, 2019. All stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. A full term on the court is eight years.

2016

Candidates

District 1, Place 1

■ Jim Greenlee (Incumbent/Unopposed)

District 2, Place 2

■ Ceola James (Incumbent)
■ Latrice Westbrooks

District 3, Place 1

■ Jack Wilson (Incumbent)
■ Edwin Hannan
■ Dow Yoder

District 5, Place 2

■ David Ishee (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Election results

November 29 runoff election

Incumbent Jack Wilson defeated Edwin Hannan in the runoff election for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 3, Place 1.

Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 3, Place 1, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jack Wilson Incumbent	57.55%	15,142
Edwin Hannan	42.45%	11,169
Total Votes (375 of 375 reporting: 100%)		26,311
Source: WAPT News/Associated Press

November 8 general election

Incumbent Jim Greenlee ran unopposed in the election for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 1, Place 1.

Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 1, Place 1, 2016
Candidate
Jim Greenlee Incumbent

Latrice Westbrooks defeated incumbent Ceola James in the election for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 2, Place 2.

Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 2, Place 2, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Latrice Westbrooks	57.40%	84,762
Ceola James Incumbent	42.60%	62,914
Total Votes (360 of 360 precincts reporting: 100%)		147,676
Source: The New York Times

Incumbent Jack Wilson and Edwin Hannan defeated Dow Yoder in the election for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 3, Place 1.

Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 3, Place 1, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jack Wilson Incumbent	49.90%	109,126
Edwin Hannan	37.06%	81,051
Dow Yoder	13.04%	28,506
Total Votes (373 of 373 precincts reporting: 100%)		218,683
Source: The New York Times

Incumbent David Ishee ran unopposed in the election for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 5, Place 2.

Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 5, Place 2, 2016
Candidate
David Ishee Incumbent
Source: The New York Times

2014

Unopposed	Judge Jimmy Maxwell (District 1, Position 1)

Unopposed	Judge T. Kenneth Griffis (District 3, Position 2)

Unopposed	Judge Virginia Carlton (District 4, Position 1)

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Election Vote
JamesCeola James   A	No	District 2, Place 2	63%   A
RussellErmea Russell	Yes	District 2, Position 2	37%   A
FairEugene Fair   A	Yes	District 5, Position 1	A

Ethics

The Mississippi Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Mississippi. It is composed of five canons:

• Canon 1: "A Judge Shall Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary."
• Canon 2: "A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities."
• Canon 3: "A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently."
• Canon 4: "A Judge Shall So Conduct the Judge’s Extra-judicial Activities as to Minimize the Risk of Conflict with Judicial Obligations."
• Canon 5: "A Judge or Judicial Candidate Shall Refrain From Inappropriate Political Activity."

The full text of the Mississippi Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Mississippi may be removed in one of three ways:

• By a recommendation of the commission on judicial performance, the supreme court may censure, remove or retire judges.
• If two-thirds of the house of representatives votes to impeach, and the senate votes for removal.
• By the governor, who addresses at least two-thirds of both houses of the legislature.

State profile

Demographic data for Mississippi
	Mississippi	U.S.
Total population:	2,989,390	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	46,923	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	59.2%	73.6%
Black/African American:	37.4%	12.6%
Asian:	1%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.2%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	2.9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	82.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	20.7%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$39,665	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	27%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Mississippi. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Mississippi

Mississippi voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in Mississippi, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Mississippi had two Retained Pivot Counties, 1.10 of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Mississippi coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Mississippi
• United States congressional delegations from Mississippi
• Public policy in Mississippi
• Endorsers in Mississippi
• Mississippi fact checks
• More...

See also

Mississippi	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Mississippi Mississippi Court of Appeals Mississippi Supreme Court	Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Mississippi	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• State of Mississippi Judiciary, "Court of Appeals Judges"
• State of Mississippi Judiciary, "Court of Appeals Judicial Map"

Footnotes

Mississippi courts

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Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi

State courts:

Mississippi Supreme Court • Mississippi Court of Appeals • Mississippi circuit courts • Mississippi Chancery Court • Mississippi county courts • Mississippi justice courts • Mississippi youth courts • Mississippi Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Mississippi • Mississippi judicial elections • Judicial selection in Mississippi