Longtime Moss Point city attorney and Gautier municipal judge Amy St. Pe’ secured the District 5, Position 2 Mississippi Court of Appeals seat in convincing fashion on Tuesday.
In the general election on November 5, St. Pe’, south Mississippi chancery court judge Jennifer Schloegel, and Harrison County assistant district attorney Ian Baker were separated by hair’s breadth.
St. Pe’ secured a runoff spot with 35.2% of the votes three days later, but Schloegel was not officially confirmed by the Associated Press until a week later on November 12.
But in the runoff election, those in south Mississippi left no doubt of who they wanted to represent the district on the state’s second-highest court. The race was officially called just over an hour and a half after polls closed in the Magnolia State as St. Pe’ commanded a more than 20-point lead with 94% of votes counted.
St. Pe’ will carry three years of judicial experience into the court of appeals seat. She was appointed as a municipal judge by the Gautier City Council in 2021, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position. The coast native also served as a Moss Point city attorney for more than 16 years.
The seat was left open when Judge Joel Smith announced he would not seek reelection. District 5 encompasses Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lamar, Pearl River, Perry, and Stone counties along with a portion of Wayne County.
