The Mississippi Court of Appeals will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary with special events scheduled for Jan. 9, along with other celebrations in place for 2025.
Founded in 1993 through the Mississippi Legislature, the Court of Appeals was established as the state’s second-highest court with its first case being heard in 1995. With the goal of shortening the time it takes to finalize appeals throughout the judicial system, the Court of Appeals is now issuing more than 300 opinions and dealing with up to 1,000 legal motions each year.
To honor the three-decade mark, the Court of Appeals will host a series of panel discussions inside the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson the second Thursday of the New Year. The panel will take place from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and include former Court of Appeals Judges Donna Barnes, Leslie D. King, and Leslie Southwick. Barnes was the first woman to serve as chief judge on the court, while King and Southwick were two of the court’s original members. Following the panel discussion, a reception will be held until 5:30 p.m. in the second-floor atrium.
Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Virginia Carlton, who has been involved in planning anniversary activities, said the celebration will be a great way to remind people of the work the court has done over the last three decades.
“It’s been an honor to serve on the Court of Appeals for the State of Mississippi for the past 18 years, and it is humbling to reflect on the Court’s accomplishments over the past 30 years,” Carlton stated in a press release. “The first judges on the Court worked very hard to successfully resolve the backlog of appeals, and the judges have accomplished the mission of successfully sharing the appellate caseload by disposing of more than 16,810 cases since 1985.”
Since January 1995, the Court of Appeals has issued more than 15,375 opinions on merits. The Mississippi Supreme Court assigns some appeals to the Court of Appeals while retaining cases which it is statutorily required to hear, as well as a portion of other cases.
Other commemorative events are also being planned by the Court of Appeals, including a June appellate Law Day camp program for high school students. Anniversary programs will also be incorporated into “Court on the Road” visits to universities and colleges, in which judges and staff members travel to campuses across the state to further educate students and the public on the work of the appellate court.