Connect with us
[the_ad_placement id="manual-placement"] [the_ad_placement id="obituaries"]

News

Desk holds more than 100 years of Supreme Court history

Published

on

Jim Kitchens signs historic desk submitted photo
Photo Submitted

JACKSON, Miss. – As Supreme Court Presiding Justice Jim Kitchens cleaned out his desk in December 2024 near the end of his term, he signed his name inside a drawer.

In a tradition that goes back more than 100 years, Justices who have occupied the massive antique oak desk signed their names inside a top middle drawer. The desk in Presiding Justice Kitchens’ former office includes the signatures of 12 of his predecessors dating back to 1916. Seven led the Supreme Court as Chief Justices.

Presiding Justice Kitchens said that the desk reminded him that he was “standing on the shoulders of giants.” He said, “I looked frequently at the names in that drawer, all well known in our state’s legal community….That old desk had an humbling effect on me during all the years that I used it.”

Justice Kenneth Griffis, who has moved into Kitchens’ former office, said that the desk “certainly gives me a star to shoot at, to emulate and aspire to.” He said, “It appeals to me because I am part of an historic institution that does revere the work of those that have gone through here in times gone by.”

Justice Griffis said that he is honored to work at a desk once occupied by Chief Justice Lenore Prather, a mentor and friend, as well as his contemporaries, former Chief Justice William L. Waller Jr. and Presiding Justice Jess H. Dickinson.

The Supreme Court has two of the historic desks. Justice David Ishee has the second  desk, which was signed by three former Chief Justices: Edwin Lloyd Pittman, James W. Smith Jr. and Waller. 

The desks are double-sided,  built for two occupants, one on each side. In the furniture industry, the style is sometimes referred to as a “partners desk” and was used by law partners.

The historic desks were part of the original furnishings of the New Capitol when it opened in 1903. At that time, only three Justices served on the Supreme Court, and their chambers were in the Capitol.

Justice Griffis said that he was disappointed to learn when he joined the Supreme Court that there weren’t more historic furnishings in use. He said that he hopes that those in charge of remodeling or refurnishing courthouses around the state will be mindful of preserving books, pictures and furnishings. He suggested calling State Librarian Stephen Parks to inquire about preserving historic materials. Parks may be reached by email at sparks@courts.ms.gov or by phone at 601-359-3612.

The earliest to leave their signature in what is now Justice Griffis’ desk was Justice John Burt Holden, former mayor of Summit. He signed “J.B. Holden” and noted the start of his first term in January 1916 and his 1924 re-election.

Other names that adorn the desk are:

  • Chief Justice Harvey McGeehee, the second longest serving Mississippi Justice in history
  • Chief Justice Virgil A. Griffith, a former chancellor, who wrote the highly regarded Mississippi Chancery Practice
  • Chief Justice Robert G. Gillespie who streamlined the hearing process
  • Chief Justice Neville Patterson author of the landmark decisions that established the Supreme Court’s rule making authority for state courts and removed legislators from state executive boards and commissions.
  • Chief Justice Roy Noble Lee gave leadership to the enactment of legislation that created the Administrative Office of Courts and the Court of Appeals.
  • Chief Justice Lenore Loving Prather was the state’s first female chancellor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, and the state’s only woman Chief Justice.
  • Chief Justice Waller gave leadership to reforms in the administration of justice through legislation and rule changes. He led development of the Mississippi Electronic Courts e-filing system now used in appellate courts and most trial courts, pushed expansion of drug intervention courts statewide, and championed meaningful access to the courts for all people. In his earlier years on the Court, he helped create the Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel and the Office of Indigent Appeals.
  • Chief Justice Smith insisted on timely appellate decisions, eliminating a backlog within three months of becoming Chief Justice.
  • Chief Justice Pittman worked tirelessly to improve efficiency and transparency of the courts; to protect judicial independence and strengthen ethics, impartiality and fairness within the judiciary and the legal profession; and to improve access to justice for the low-income. He put appellate court dockets online, established webcasting of oral arguments, and led rule making changes that allowed media cameras in trial and appellate courtrooms.

Other Presiding Justices who researched the law and wrote court opinions at this desk were William Roberds, Michael Sullivan, Chuck McRae and Jess H. Dickinson. Justice Roberds, a law professor and lawyer who didn’t seek the appointment, was picked by a Governor based on his reputation. Justice Sullivan was known for his quick wit, sharp tongue, tremendous intellect and ability to cut to the heart of an issue. His son David Sullivan was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice on Jan. 6. Justice McRae was a colorful maverick adventurer and former president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association. Justice Dickinson, a founding member of the Access to Justice Commission and a talented musician, led the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services after he left the Court.

See a typo? Report it here.
Continue Reading
Advertisement