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Talmadge Littlejohn
Talmadge Littlejohn was a judge for the 1st Chancery District of Mississippi. He was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 and 2014.[1][2] Littlejohn passed away on October 26, 2015.[3]
Education
Littlejohn earned a B.A. from Mississippi College, going on to receive his LL.B. from the University of Mississippi. He was admitted to the bar in 1960.[4]
Career
Prior to joining the court in 2006, Littlejohn worked as an attorney.[5]
Elections
2014
See also: Mississippi judicial elections, 2014
Littlejohn ran for re-election to the 1st Chancery District.
General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[6]
2010
- See also: Mississippi judicial elections, 2010
Littlejohn was re-elected to the 1st Chancery District after running unopposed.[1]
Noteworthy events
Pledge of Allegiance controversy (2010)
On October 6, 2010, Littlejohn held attorney Danny Lampley in contempt in his courtroom for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance along with the court. The attorney was jailed for about five hours.[7][8]
On June 9, 2011, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled to publicly reprimand Littlejohn for the incident and fined him $100. The ruling read in part: "Judge Littlejohn's actions... injured the integrity and independence of the judiciary," and, "his actions violated Lampley's First Amendment rights."[9][10]
Read the ruling in full here.
Reprimanded for custody ruling (2012)
In 2012, Judge Littlejohn ordered a non-custodial father to pay $15,000 within 90 days to purchase a car for his child. The man appealed the decision, but the judge ordered him to jail when he failed to pay. Following a judicial ethics investigation, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered Littlejohn be suspended without pay for 30 days, publicly reprimanded and to pay $1,600 in court fees. This was a harsher punishment than the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance had suggested, which was a $500 fine, a public reprimand and to pay the court costs. Littlejohn requested a rehearing and to be able to argue his case in person, but the supreme court denied his motions.[11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results by County," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2006 General Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ MS News Now, "North Mississippi Chancery Judge Talmadge Littlejohn dies," October 27, 2015
- ↑ Martindale, "Talmadge D. Littlejohn Judge Profile," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ FindLaw.com, "Ash v. Ash," November 4, 2003
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Qualifying List," accessed June 9, 2014
- ↑ NEMS360.com, "Lawyer out of jail after failing to 'pledge' allegiance," October 5, 2010
- ↑ MS Litigation Review and Commentary Blog, "Judge Who Jailed Lawyer for Not Reciting Pledge of Allegiance Should be Removed from the Bench," October 7, 2010
- ↑ Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, "Judge who jailed lawyer over pledge faces reprimand," June 10, 2011
- ↑ Wall Street Journal: Law Blog "Judge Faces Reprimand For Jailing Lawyer Over Pledge Of Allegiance," June 10, 2011
- ↑ DJ Journal, "Judge Littlejohn fined, suspension ordered," September 18, 2015
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
