Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Maxwell vacancy (December 2025)
| Mississippi Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Maxwell vacancy |
| Date: December 18, 2025 |
| Status: Seat vacant |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: To be determined |
| Date: To be determined |
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Maxwell was elevated to a federal court on December 18, 2025. President Donald Trump (R) nominated Maxwell to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi on September 2, 2025. Upon receiving commission to his position on the federal judiciary, he resigned from the Mississippi Supreme Court. Maxwell's replacement will be Governor Reeves' (R) second nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
In Mississippi, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
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.[1]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Mississippi Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2025.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Mississippi
In Mississippi, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Mississippi Supreme Court
Justices
Following Maxwell's elevation, the Mississippi Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ T. Kenneth Griffis | Appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) in 2019 | |
| ■ Leslie King | Appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour (R) in 2011 | |
| ■ Jenifer B. Branning | Elected in 2024 | |
| ■ David Ishee | Appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) in 2017 | |
| ■ David Sullivan | Elected in 2024 | |
| ■ Mike Randolph | Appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour (R) in 2004 | |
| ■ Josiah Coleman | Elected in 2012 |
About the court
Founded in 1817, the Mississippi Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Mike Randolph.
As of January 2025, four judges on the court were initially appointed by a Republican governor and five judges were initially selected in a nonpartisan election.
The court meets in the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson, Mississippi.[2]
In Mississippi, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
About Justice Maxwell
- See also: Jimmy Maxwell
Early life and education
Maxwell was born in 1975 in Metairie, Louisiana. He earned his bachelor's degree in business and his law degree from the University of Mississippi.[3][4]
Professional career
- 2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
- 2016-2025: Justice, Mississippi Supreme Court
- 2009-2015: Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals
- 2002-2009: Assistant U.S. attorney, Criminal Division, Northern District of Mississippi
- 2001-2002: Private practice, Jackson, Mississippi[3]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2025
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.
| 2025 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 7, 2021
- ↑ State of Mississippi Judiciary, "Supreme Court," September 7, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFJC - ↑ State of Mississippi Judiciary, "Jimmy Maxwell," accessed June 10, 2014
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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
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