Jackson Free Press

Updated with correction

Even as Election Day brought an upset of Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Smith, a U.S. Chamber favorite, the outcome may not have loosened the corporate business lobby's influence on the court's decisions. The Chamber spent millions of dollars on the election, pushing out two justices who were willing to challenge the court's judicial activism against plaintiffs, which it became known for under Smith.

Justice Oliver Diaz, perceived as less rabid in defense of corporations by the Chamber, lost to challenger "Bubba" Pierce, who benefited from Chamber money, as well as dishonest ads against Diaz.

Justice Chuck Easley, a free radical capable of voting either way in cases, lost to challenger David Chandler, who could prove friendlier to businesses than Easley.

Chamber favorite Smith lost to Crystal Springs attorney Jim Kitchens, who campaigned on a platform of fairness in the court.

The new political structure within the court, with Smith's departure, means Presiding Judge William Waller will be the new chief justice, with Justices George Carlson and James Graves occupying the presiding judge slots. Graves will be the second African American to occupy the position in the state's history.

Previous Comments

ID

140340

Comment

Greeeaaat for Graves. Sorry to see Diaz go and happy to see Kitch join.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-11-05T17:43:06-06:00

ID

140349

Comment

Judge Grave honesty, fairness and intergrity are without question and I am very proud that he has been elvated to a new position. Judge Graves along with Congressman Bennie Thompson are the perfect positive examples for our children to look up too. I have been truly blessed to be able to say that in my life time that I have had the opportunity to meet two of the greatest African American leaders of this era.

Author

Hot Sauce

Date

2008-11-05T19:00:47-06:00

ID

140350

Comment

Congratulations also are in order for Jim Kitchens. We endorsed him, and are thrilled to see that Jim Smith was defeated. (Glad to see that Clarion-Ledger didn't help him hold on, either.) What was done to Oliver Diaz by LEAA was despicable. Talk about a man who has been unfairly targeted by Republican machine politics.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-11-05T19:25:10-06:00

ID

140359

Comment

All my best to soon-to-be Presiding Justice Graves, who is one of the finest men and jurists our state has to offer. He is a shining light on the Court. However, to be precise, he is the second African-American to hold the statutorily-created position of Presiding Justice; his immediate predecessor, Fred Banks, also reached that position before retiring. Justice Graves succeeded Justice Banks' seat on the Court. In total, our Court has had three African-American members, with the first being Justice Reuben Anderson. Presiding Justice Diaz and his family have been the targets of loathsome and fraudulent attacks for years now, from their well-documented political prosecution by a corrupt Bush Department of Justice to the latest lies of the U.S. Chamber's sock puppets. Without his intelligence, compassion, and insight, our state appellate court will suffer greatly. Justice-elect Kitchens will bolster the quotient of much-needed integrity and fairness on High Street, but nobody can match the wit and grace of Justice Diaz.

Author

David McCarty

Date

2008-11-06T00:27:40-06:00

ID

140360

Comment

Thanks, David. Will get Adam to fix this...

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-11-06T08:32:39-06:00

ID

140366

Comment

FYI, Judge Diaz is a Republican. But I agree that he got screwed. Jim Smith's comments that "lawyer shouldn't be able to contribute to Supreme Court races" made my hair curl. If lawyer's couldn't contribute, who would? The US Chamber, of course. Also, Mississippians for Economic Progress should be indicted under the Code of Judicial Conduct for multiple violations in their ads.

Author

QB

Date

2008-11-06T11:04:59-06:00

ID

140413

Comment

Ruebin Anderson, Fred Banks and now Judge Graves. There were three A-Americans to hold the Supreme Court Justice position.

Author

justjess

Date

2008-11-07T12:08:31-06:00