Mississippi Today

Do voters know enough to elect Mississippi judges?

Published

9 months ago

August 4, 2024

Staff Editor

Here’s a quick pop quiz:

Who are the justices on the state Supreme Court running for reelection this year?

What judicial elections will be on the Mississippi ballot this November?

Who are the judges who hear cases where you live?

And, what are the differences between chancery and circuit judges?

Granted, that last one is a tough one.

Odds are many people cannot answer those questions and others involving the Mississippi judiciary. And that might be considered disappointing since most judges in Mississippi, including the nine justices on the state Supreme Court, the 10 Court of Appeal judges and the 57 circuit and 52 chancery court judges are elected.

There are a few instances in Mississippi where judges are appointed, but in general the state Constitution mandates that judges be elected instead of appointed.

In the 1990s there were serious discussions in the Legislature about whether Mississippi judges should be elected or appointed. Some states elect judges while others have judges appointed by the governor or some type of judicial commission. Some states have a combination of both elected and appointed judges. Other states require appointed judges to stand for a retention election. In some states, judges are appointed for a specified number of years.

On the federal level, President Joe Biden recently has proposed changing the tenure for the United States Supreme Court justices from a lifetime appointment to an appointment for 18 years.

No doubt, judges play a vital role in a representative democracy.

The Legislature chose in the 1990s to leave in place Mississippi’s system of electing nearly all judges, though the end result of those discussions was a subtle but important change in the method of selecting judges.

The change was that when an appellate judge steps down the governor can name a replacement to serve the remainder of his term if the term is more than halfway complete. And even when a special election is required, the appointed judge gets to serve for at least nine months before the election.

Previously, at least in many cases, a special election was held much sooner to replace the retiring judge.

The ability to serve out the remainder of a term, especially if it is an eight year term that Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeal judges serve, gives a gubernatorial appointee a tremendous advantage – the ability to run essentially as an incumbent.

And it should be noted that there is a long tradition in the state of judges, especially Supreme Court justices, leaving office before their terms expire.

The issue of Mississippi’s system of selecting justices came to the forefront this past week as four of the five candidates vying for a Central District Supreme Court race spoke and campaigned at the Neshoba County Fair.

Justice James Kitchens is seeking reelection in the Central District. In a sense, Kitchens is an anomaly. In most instances, justices on the Supreme Court are first appointed by the governor as mentioned earlier to replace a retiring incumbent and then elected to a full eight year term, or the justice made it to the state’s highest court by winning an open seat.

Kitchens is the rare justice who earned his seat on the state Supreme Court by defeating an incumbent – then-Chief Justice James Smith in 2008.

The other candidates in the Central District race this year are Republican state Sen. Jennifer Branning, Jackson attorneys Abby Gale Robinson and Byron Carter and former Court of Appeals Judge Ceola James.

In the Southern District incumbent Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam is being challenged by Coast attorney David Sullivan, son of a former Supreme Court justice.

Also in south Mississippi, Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, Chancery Court Judge Jennifer Schloegel and municipal Judge Amy St. Pe are vying for a Court of Appeals post.

Supreme Court Justices Robert Chamberlin and James Maxwell, both of the Northern District, are running unopposed.

The judicial contests might be Mississippi’s most competitive elections this year. The federal elections on the state ballot – for president and for U.S. senator and representatives — are not expected to be competitive in Mississippi.

But some of the judicial elections, which many Mississippians know little about, could be real donnybrooks.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/?p=382138

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.