While the country was focused on what would or would not happen in our nation’s capital Tuesday, Nov. 2, metro area voters had an additional assignment; deciding who would sit on several judicial benches across the area.
Up for grabs were Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties judgeships including county, chancery and circuit judge posts.
In Hinds County, Ward 1 Jackson City Councilman Jeff Weill, the lone Republican on the council, defeated two opponents in Tuesday’s election to replace retiring Hinds County Circuit Judge Swan Yerger in January.
Weill, 53, won with 61 percent of the vote in the circuit court district, which includes Belhaven, Fondren, Northeast and portions of South Jackson. Weill defeated Ali ShamsiDeen and Bruce Burton.
William “Bill” Gowan defeated incumbent Malcolm Harrison for the Hinds County Circuit Court judge seat once held by Bobby DeLaughter, who, resigned in 2009 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in a federal judicial bribery case. He is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence.
According to unofficial returns Gowan received 12,738 votes to Harrison 12,036.
Gowan, 67, of Jackson, has said reducing the criminal docket is a top priority for him.
Harrison, 40, of Raymond had been county attorney before being tapped as the first African American judicial appointee of Republican Governor Haley Barbour.
The race for Hinds County District 1 judge will head to a runoff Tuesday, Nov 23.
Melvin Priester and Brent Southern will meet again then [Nov. 23], since neither of the two in a four-person race received enough votes to be declared the out-right winner. Priester who led the race the entire night of the election received 9,211 votes and Southern received 3,959.
Priester, 60, has spent the last two years as a special circuit court judge, appointed by The Mississippi Supreme Court. Before that, he was a Jackson Municipal Court judge. He was appointed to that seat by the late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton.
Southern, 50, has practiced law in the area for a number of years.
Longtime County Judge Houston Patton at press time was still waiting for final numbers to determine whether he would retain his seat or face opponent Bridgett Clayton in a runoff.
Patton, 74, facing his toughest challenge to-date, prior to counting affidavit and absentee ballots or military ballots had over 50 percent of the vote for a total of 5,749.
Clayton, 50, who is a practicing attorney in Jackson, received 3,336 votes before counting affidavit and absentee ballots or military ballots.
The third contender in this race, longtime municipal judge Henry Clay received 2,349 votes.
Incumbent Hinds County Judge Bill Skinner, 51, of Raymond, defeated challenger Michael Williams.
Williams, 49, of Clinton is a partner in the law firm Davis, Goss and Williams.
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