Mississippi local trial court judicial elections, 2020
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- Main articles: State judicial elections, 2020 and Local trial court judicial elections, 2020
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. Since this state did not have a city in the top 100, Ballotpedia did not cover local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2020.
Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
Election rules
Primary election
Mississippi does not hold primary elections for judicial candidates.[1]
General election
Qualified judicial candidates, including those running unopposed, appear on the general election ballot. There is no indication of party affiliation. When two or more candidates are competing for a seat, they are listed in alphabetical order.[1]
The winner of the general election is determined by majority vote. If no candidate receives a majority (over 50 percent) of the total vote, the top two candidates advance to a runoff election that takes place three weeks later.[1]
Judicial selection method
Chancery courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election
Judges of the Mississippi Chancery Court are each elected to four-year terms. The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be at least 26 years old and have been a district (and state) resident for five years and have five years of experience as an attorney.[2]
Circuit courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
There are 51 judges on the Mississippi Circuit Courts, each elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections. The circuit courts share the supreme court's regulations on re-election and chief justice selection, but policies on interim vacancies and judicial qualifications differ slightly.[3]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[3]
- a practicing attorney for at least five years;
- a minimum of 26 years old;
- a state citizen for at least five years; and
- a district resident.
County courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election
Judges of the Mississippi County Courts are each elected to four-year terms. The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be at least 26 years old, a state resident for five years and have five years of experience as an attorney.[4]
Additional elections
- See also: Mississippi elections, 2020
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Two of 82 Mississippi counties—2.4 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Chickasaw County, Mississippi | 6.06% | 4.52% | 2.13% | ||||
| Panola County, Mississippi | 0.12% | 8.62% | 6.52% | ||||
See also
| Local courts | Mississippi | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Mississippi Election Code (Page 617-618)," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Mississippi; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Mississippi," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Mississippi; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
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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