While most Mississippians will be focused on who they’ll mark down to be the next president of the United States on Election Day, a collection of important judicial seats for the state’s highest courts are also up for election.
The state court of appeals, Mississippi’s second-highest court, has three seats up for reelection with one being contested. Four state supreme court seats will also be on the ballot this Tuesday, including a hotly contested, five-candidate race for the central district supreme court seat.
For the court of appeals seats, a pair of incumbents found no need to campaign as no one decided to challenge them. Both Judge Latrice Westbrooks (District 2, Position 2) and Judge Jack Wilson (District 3, Position 1) will begin their second terms in January 2025.
But when Judge Joel Smith opted not to run for the District 5, Position 2 seat, which he has held since being appointed by Governor Tate Reeves in 2021, three new candidates arose for the seat primarily representing south Mississippi. Ian Baker, Jennifer Schloegel, and Amy Lassiter St. Pe’ are contending for the seat.
Baker carries the only court of appeals experience of the three, albeit as a judicial clerk, and is also the lone candidate to have never served as a judge. The Mississippi Gulf Coast native then spent six years practicing as a private attorney before joining the Harrison, Hancock, and Stone County District Attorney’s Office. He currently serves as the office’s Division Chief for Gulfport, Division 2, where he prosecutes major violent crimes, gang crimes, sex crimes, and drug trafficking crimes.
“I believe your Court of Appeals Judge should have experience that matters,” Baker’s campaign website says. “My experience as a prosecutor, civil litigator, and Judicial Clerk for the Court of Appeals has prepared me to serve the State of Mississippi well.”
Jennifer Schloegel was first elected to a bench seat in 2010 as chancery court judge for Harrison, Hancock, and Stone counties, where she is presently serving her fourth term. On the chancery court, she has presided for 14 years over disputes involving business and contracts, land, government, public records, tidelands, and domestic relations. Before working as a judge, the University of Mississippi School of Law graduate was a practicing attorney for 19 years.
“My 14 years of judicial experience has prepared me to be a court of appeals judge on day one,” Schloegel says in a campaign advertisement. “The law is the law, but I am fair.”
St. Pe’ also carries judicial experience as a municipal court judge in Gautier, in addition to working as the city attorney for Moss Point for a total of 16 years. The Southern Miss and Mississippi College School of Law product became the first female to sit on a municipal bench in Jackson County after being appointed by the Gautier City Council in 2021.
“I’m the only candidate endorsed by the state’s largest pro-business group because of my background, commitment to fairness, and always following the rule of law,” St. Pe’ said in a campaign ad. “I’ll use my 22 years of legal experience, including serving as a municipal judge and city attorney, to treat everyone equally and with respect.”
To be prepared and informed when you visit your local poll on Tuesday, you can visit the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website here.
