October 9, 2020
Voters will decide two contested state Supreme Court races in the Nov. 3 general election. State Supreme Court Justice Kenny Griffis of Ridgeland faces a challenge from Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Latrice Westbrooks of Lexington, who is seeking to become the first African American woman on the nine-member state high court. In the other contested race, incumbent Justice Josiah Coleman of Choctaw County is seeking a second term. He faces a challenge from longtime Chancery Judge Percy Lynchard of Hernando in the north Mississippi district. Candidates for state Supreme Court races run in nonpartisan elections, but that hasn't stopped contests from becoming highly partisan affairs, often with interest groups pumping money into ads and campaigns for certain candidates. The Mississippi Republican Party has endorsed incumbents Griffis and Coleman in their races. No candidate had raised more than $100,000 when the last campaign finance report was filed in July. The deadline is Friday to file the latest campaign finance report with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office. Griffis and Westbrooks are vying for the District 1 seat in central Mississippi covering the following counties: Bolivar, Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Madison, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Warren, Washington and Yazoo counties. Name: Kenny Griffis Age: 59 Experience: Appointed to Mississippi Supreme Court Feb. 1, 2019. Served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals for 16 years. He was a certified public accountant from 1984 to 2007. Serves as adjunct professor at the Mississippi College School of Law and the University of Mississippi School of Law. Education: Accounting and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. His position: "I’m running based on my record and 18 years of experience as a constitutional conservative with a dedication to fairness and the rule of law," Griffis said. "On the Supreme Court, I’ve focused on applying the law, not legislating from the bench, because that’s what all Mississippians deserve." https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/09/what-you-need-to-know-about-mississippi-supreme-court-races/3637837001/