Ann Lamar
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Ann Hannaford Lamar is an associate justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Justice Lamar and her husband are the parents of two adult children, John T. Lamar III (Trey), and Vance Lamar. She is a member of First Baptist Church in Senatobia, where she teaches Sunday School. Justice Lamar becomes the third woman to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court.
2008 General election results
- On November 4, incumbent Justice Ann Lamar defeated challenger Gene Barton 62% to 38%.[1] See the article Mississippi Supreme Court elections for more information.
Legal Education and Experience
Justice Lamar attended Northwest Mississippi Junior College 1970-1971 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Delta State University in 1974. She earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1982.
Legal Experience
She was appointed to her position on May 21, 2007 by Gov. Haley Barbour to fill the position vacated by retiring justice Kay Cobb. She is the third woman to serve on this court.
Lamar faces an election challenge in November 2008 from Gene Barton.
Lamar previously served five and a half years as a circuit judge from the 17th Circuit Court, which is made up of DeSoto, Panola, Tallahatchie, Tate and Yalobusha counties. She was appointed to the Circuit Court vacancy created when former Circuit Judge George C. Carlson Jr. was appointed to the Supreme Court on Nov. 1, 2001.
Lamar was a district attorney in Mississippi's 17th district. served for a year and 10 months as district attorney in the 17th District. She was an assistant district attorney from August 1987 to January 1993 and from January 1996 to December 1999.
She practiced law with her husband in Senatobia from May 1982 to August 1987 and from February 1993 through December 1995. Their practice involved litigation in civil, criminal, and domestic relations cases. Their firm represented several governmental entities, including the Tate County Board of Supervisors
Awards and Associations
Justice Lamar in 2006 served as president of the William C. Keady American Inns of Court and as a member of the Mississippi Judicial College Board of Governors. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Prosecutor’s Association.
Political Affiliation and Campaign Contributions
According to Follow the Money, Lamar has raised no money. According to the Clarion Ledger, she has raised $27,000.[2]
2008 race
With four months left in the 2008 Supreme Court races, 10 candidates seek four seats on the Court, and five of them have raised more than $100,000 each. Two candidates report raising no money. Ann Lamar reported raising $31,100 during June, while Gene Barton's report shows he borrowed $42,000 from himself and $75,000 from credit cards until campaign contributions roll in to pay them off.
Statewide, the top judicial race fundraisers so far are: James Smith of Brandon - $211,999; Jim Kitchens of Crystal Springs - $186,659; Gene Barton - $142,445; Chandler - $125,838; Randy "Bubba" Pierce of Leakesville - $115,718. For the month of June, Chief Justice Smith of Brandon is the money leader - raising $142,449. After expenses, he reported cash on hand at $139,673.86.[3]
Lamar Appointed to Court
Governor Haley Barbour appointed Circuit Court Judge Ann Hannaford Lamar of Senatobia to fill an empty seat on the state Supreme Court. Lamar, 54, a former district attorney, will replace Justice Kay Cobb of Oxford, who resigned. Lamar will join the bench May 21, 2007. “Ann is highly regarded among her peers as an outstanding judge with a great legal mind,” Barbour said in a statement. “She brings a wealth of credentials and experience both as a prosecutor and judge to a very demanding level of public service.” Lamar has served as a Circuit Court judge in the district covering DeSoto, Tate, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Yalobusha counties since 2001.[4]
Supreme Court agrees with Lamar's ruling
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled the state isn't required to help counties pay the legal tabs of the poor charged with crimes. In a 6-2 decision, the high court sided with Circuit Judge Ann Lamar, who said she would not declare unconstitutional a state law requiring local governments to pay for indigent defense. In 1999, Quitman County sued the state after being forced to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay legal expenses for Robert Simon and Anthony Carr, sentenced to death row for the Feb. 12, 1990, torture and burning deaths of four members of a family from Lambert. To pay for the trial and appeal, the county had to take out a $150,000 loan and raise taxes for three years.
Chris Klotz of Jackson, the attorney for the county, called Mississippi's current system a hodgepodge that can devastate rural counties. The court's decision, he said, "is not good news for poor people or for people who can't afford attorneys. The state needs to seriously revamp (the present system)." Lawyers may ask the court to reconsider, he said, and "there is the potential to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court." The ruling came the same day the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Southern Center for Human Rights sued the city of Gulfport, accused the Gulfport Municipal Court of routinely incarcerating poor people unable to pay their fines and violating their right to counsel.[5]
See Also
External links
- Ann Lamar biography on Mississippi Supreme Court website
- Ann Lamar's campaign website
- Lamar's Appointment
- Ann Lamar takes oath as newest Supreme Court justice
- New York Times: Lamar Rejects Suit On Lawyers
- Lamar rules on Fire Chief Embezzlement Charges
- Mississippi Supreme Court Election Information
- Campaign Finance Reports
