Mississippi Supreme Court marks milestone with three women Justices

Mississippi Supreme Court marks milestone with three women Justices. VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — The Mississippi Supreme Court marked a milestone on Sept. 1, 2026, when, for the first time in its history, three women serve on the state’s highest court at the same time.

Historic Appointment of Three Women Justices

Justice Amanda Jones Tollison of Oxford was sworn in on Sept. 1 to serve as a Justice in District 3, Place 2. She is the seventh woman to served on the Mississippi Supreme Court during its 208-year history.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph of Hattiesburg, who administered the oath of office to Justice Tollison, said, “I personally could not be more excited about what’s going on today. Amanda, you are going to be the first lady to be a member of a nine-member court that has three ladies on it. It’s a first.”

He also introduced Justices Jenifer Branning of Philadelphia and Justice Celeste Embrey Wilson of Southaven.

Almost a month earlier, on Aug. 4, Justice Wilson was sworn in to serve in District 3, Place 1. Gov. Tate Reeves appointed Justice Wilson and Justice Tollison to vacancies on the Court.

Justice Jenifer Branning of Philadelphia joined the Court on Jan. 6, 2025. She was elected on Nov. 26, 2024, to District 1, Place 3. She is the first woman to be elected to the Supreme Court without having first been appointed to a vacancy.

Women Justices Make History

Twice in the Supreme Court’s history, two women have served simultaneously. Terms briefly overlapped for the late Chief Justice Lenore Prather of Columbus, July 1982-January 2001, and the late Presiding Justice Kay Cobb of Oxford, April 1999-May 2007. Terms of Justice Ann H. Lamar of Senatobia, May 2007-December 2016, and Justice Dawn Beam of Sumrall, February 2016-December 2024, also overlapped.

Prather was appointed the bench at a time when there were few women in law school. She inspired future women lawyers. Justice Tollison said, “We stand here today thanks to the trail she blazed as a lawyer, a Chancellor, a Justice and Chief Justice.”

She hopes that seeing three women serving on the Supreme Court inspires more women to become lawyers and judges.

Justice Wilson said, “It’s not lost on me that it is a first. I’ve never really thought of myself as a statistic, but I’m honored to be a part of this monumental event.”

Justice Branning said, “This is certainly a significant historical moment for our state’s highest court, and I count it a distinct honor to be a part of this moment. However, our judiciary prioritizes qualifications, work ethic and commitment to the rule of law over quotas. While it is wonderful to have three women on the court, it was not our gender that got us here, but rather our decades of hard work and display of excellence in the legal profession. I actually see this moment as a testament to the depth of talent among women lawyers in Mississippi.”

The percentage of women on the Supreme Court matches the percentage of women practicing law in Mississippi: 33 percent. Of the 6,638 attorneys actively practicing in Mississippi, 2,201 are women, according to July 2026 data from the Mississippi Bar.

Women make up 37.4 percent of the Mississippi state judiciary. Among the 163 currently serving trial and appellate judges, 61 are women. There is currently one judicial vacancy, on the County Court of DeSoto County. The totals do not include Municipal Court and Justice Court judges.

Here is the makeup of the courts:

•Supreme Court: 3 women among 9 Justices, 33 percent women;

•Mississippi Court of Appeals: 5 women among 10 Judges, 50 percent women;

•Chancery Courts, 20 women among 52 Chancellors, 38 percent women;

•Circuit Court, 16 women among 59 Judges, 27 percent women;

•County Courts, 17 women among 33 Judges, with one vacancy; 51.5 percent women.