James L. Roberts Jr.

James L. Roberts Jr. (born 1945)[1] is an American retired jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1992 to 1999.[2]

Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, Roberts received a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1971,[1] and served as the prosecuting attorney for Pontotoc County, Mississippi from 1972 to 1983. In 1984, Governor Bill Allain appointed him State Commissioner of Public Safety, a position he held for four years.[3]

Roberts became a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi in 1992.[4] In April 1999, Roberts resigned form his seat on the Supreme Court to campaign for the office of governor in that year's election.[3] He sought the Democratic nomination, facing Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove.[5] Roberts did little to build a gubernatorial platform and spent most of his time attacking Musgrove for his use of state vehicles for campaign activities.[6] Musgrove won the August 3 Democratic primary, taking 57 percent of the vote to Roberts' 26 percent.[7]

In January 2019, Roberts suffered a stroke. He tendered his resignation from his circuit court judgeship effective February 29, 2020.[3]

References
  1. Moore, William (January 23, 2020). "Circuit Judge James Roberts resigns". Daily Journal.
  2. Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
  3. Helms, David (January 29, 2020). "Judge James L. Roberts, Jr., tenders resignation". Pontotoc Progress. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  4. "State of Mississippi Judiciary". courts.ms.gov.
  5. Watson & Campbell 2003, p. 133.
  6. Watson & Campbell 2003, p. 134.
  7. Ammerman, Joseph (August 4, 1999). "It's Musgrove vs. Parker for Governor's Mansion". The Clarion-Ledger. pp. 1A, 6A.

Works cited


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