JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Two judges on the Mississippi Court of Appeals are unopposed this year, while two others face challengers.
Judicial candidates' qualifying deadline was Tuesday. Elections are Nov. 8, and judicial candidates run without party labels.
Judge Jim M. Greenlee of Oxford is unopposed for an eight-year term in northeast Mississippi’s District 1. Then-Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Greenlee to the court in January 2016 after Judge James D. Maxwell II moved to the state Supreme Court.
Judge John H. Emfinger of Brandon is unopposed for an eight-year term in central Mississippi’s District 3. Gov. Tate Reeves appointed him in March 2021 to fill an unexpired term of Cory Wilson, who is now serving on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Virginia Carlton of Jackson is challenged by Bruce W. Burton of Jackson in District 4, which runs from Jackson to the southwestern part of the state. Carlton is a former Mississippi House member and has served on the Court of Appeals since January 2007. This election is also for a full eight-year term.
Judge Joel Smith of Gulfport is challenged by Clay Caldwell of Biloxi in a special election in south Mississippi's District 5. The term for this seat expires in January 2025. Smith joined the Court of Appeals in January 2021. Reeves appointed him after Sean Tindell left the court to become state commissioner of public safety.
The Court of Appeals has 10 judges, with elections for different seats in alternating years.
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