Former Mississippi legislator Johnnie E. Walls, Jr., has passed away at age 80.
The Mississippi Democratic Party announced on social media that the Walls died on Saturday evening. No cause of death was specified.
Mississippi Democratic Party Honors the Life and Legacy of Johnnie E. Walls, Jr., who transitioned on the evening of Saturday, May 10, 2025.
-Mississippi Democratic Party pic.twitter.com/2Vio1iBpIQ
— MS Democratic Party (@msdemocrats) May 12, 2025
Walls, a Clarksdale native, was a judge in the state’s eleventh judicial district from 2011 until his retirement in 2016. Prior to his time on the bench, he served as a Democratic member of the state Senate from 1993 to 2010. He practiced law before becoming a legislator.
The legal-minded lawmaker and judge earned a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from Jackson State University. He changed course in his higher learning aspirations and went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He was admitted to the Mississippi bar in 1971.
