Judge Toni Terrett received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award

Circuit Court Judge Toni Terrett was presented with the 2024 Distinguished Service Award by the Mississippi Bar Association. She received the prestigious award on Friday while at the Bar Convention.Terrett serves in the Ninth District Circuit Court, a position she has held since 2018. She is also the first woman to serve as Circuit Court Judge in the Ninth District, which includes Warren, Sharkey and Issaquena counties. 

After earning the Distinguished Service Award yesterday, Terrett made the following announcement on Facebook:

Today I was presented with the 2024 Distinguished Service Award by the Mississippi Bar Association in recognition of what was accomplished during my tenure as chair of the Access to Justice Committee.

While I am very humbled and honored by this award,I cannot take sole credit for the work that has been done. A big thank you goes to  Nicole Harris McLaughlin, the executive director of the MS Access to Justice Commission, for keeping things moving along. I am thankful for the dedicated committee members who gave their input.Thank you also to attorneys such as Kimberly Walker Nailor who served as panelists at the law schools as well those attorneys who supported the summer clerkship program as donors and hosts.

Our efforts helped to expose more law students to the prospect of practicing in rural areas. We organized panel discussions at the state’s two law schools and launched the first Summer Rural Clerkship Program. I also had the opportunity to give input into other pending initiatives that will hopefully increase the number of attorneys providing services in what have been identified as “legal deserts” throughout the state. Stay tuned!

I appreciate the confidence that former Bar Presidents Blake Teller and Jenny Tyler Baker placed in me to lead the Access to Justice committee. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be of service and look forward to doing more. Thank you to my court staff, colleagues and family for your continuing support and prayers!