Michael Mills
| Michael Mills | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | |
| Title: | Chief Judge |
| Position: | Seat #2 |
| Station: | Oxford, MS |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | George W. Bush |
| Active: | 10/11/2001 - Present |
| Chief: | 2007 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Neal Biggers |
| Past post: | Mississippi Supreme Court, Associate Justice |
| Past term: | 1995-2001 |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1956 |
| Home State: | Charleston, SC |
| Bachelors: | U. of Mississippi, B.A., 1978 |
| Law School: | U. of Mississippi Law, J.D., 1980 |
| Grad. School: | U. of Virginia of Law, LL.M., 2001 |
Contents |
Early life and education
Judge Mills received his B.A. from the University of Mississippi in 1978 and his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1980.[1]
Professional career
After Law School, Mills was a private practice attorney licensed in the State of Mississippi from 1980 to 1995. Also Mills was a elected State Representative for the Mississippi House of Representatives as a elected Republican from 1984 to 1995.[1]
Judicial career
Northern District of Mississippi
He was an Associate Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court before accepting his current position in the federal judiciary. Mills was given the unanimous recommendation of Mississippi U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott for the nomination. Mills resigned from the Mississippi court effective October 31, 2001, and after being nominated by George W. Bush to the seat vacated by Neal Biggers. Millas was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 11, 2001 on a Senate Vote.[2]
Senate Confirmation Gridlock
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) held up the Senate vote to confirm Mills to the federal district court because of a dissent joined by Justice Mills in an anti-abortion trespasser case. An abortion protester who was tried and convicted for trespassing on clinic property claimed that she should have been able to present the “necessity defense”—a defense that allows one to take illegal action to stop another illegal act. The protester claimed that illegal abortions were being done in the clinic, thus her trespass was justified to stop them. The trial judge refused to hear the defense and convicted her. The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction, but Justice Mills joined the dissent, claiming that the protester should have been allowed to put on evidence relating to her defense. [3]
Judicial philosophy
Position on judicial elections
Justice Mills believes that Mississippians will never abandon its system of judicial elections. "People love elections. It’s like a sporting event."[4]
See also
External links
- Profile of Judge Mills
- State high court reverses $3 million award in influence-peddling case
- The Robing Room- Rate Judge Mills
- Judge Mills's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Mills's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Mills announces resignation
- ↑ Ms. Magazine, Senator Feinstein Delays Confirmation of Anti-Abortion Judge, October 9, 2001
- ↑ Supreme Court Chief Urges Panel To Review Judges’ Terms
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Neal Biggers |
Northern District of Mississippi 2001–Current Seat #2 |
Succeeded by: NA |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Michael Mills • Sharion Aycock | ||
| Senior judges | |||
| Magistrate judges | Allan Alexander • David Sanders • Jane Virden • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
George Adams • Samuel Jameson Gholson • Robert Andrews Hill • Henry Clay Niles • Edwin Ruthven Holmes • Lyonel Senter • Allen Pepper • Orma Rinehart Smith • William Colbert Keady • Claude Feemster Clayton • Elijah Allen Cox • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Lyonel Senter • Neal Biggers • Glen Davidson • William Colbert Keady • Claude Feemster Clayton • | ||
