Beam to MSSC
December 29, 2015 § 6 Comments
Chancellor Dawn Beam of Sumrall was appointed yesterday to fill Justice Randy Pierce’s soon-to-be-vacated seat on the MSSC. Her appointment is effective February 15, 2016. She will have to stand for election in November, 2016, as mentioned in yesterday’s post.
Beam’s appointment continues the role of a chancellor on the high court. Pierce was a chancellor before his appointment to the MSSC.
The Jackson Clarion-Ledger’s article on the appointment and Judge Beam’s background are at this link. (You may encounter paywalls and annoying pop-ups and “surveys”)
From this Blog’s perspective, Judge Beam’s appointment is a major positive, since she is a top-notch chancellor, and knowledge of chancery practice and equity sometimes seems a mystery to appellate judges.
I only wish chancellors were not just a token one-seat allocation on each court. A huge portion of Mississippi trial-court practice is in our chancery courts. It’s where most Mississippians experience their everyday contact with our courts — in custody, divorce, probate, property, contract, commitment, and many other issues — that are what chancellors deal with on a regular basis.
And yet, it’s the big-money PI lawyers — defense and plaintiff — and felony-level criminal lawyers, who claim “legitimacy” and elbow aside chancery at the appellate level. That does not exactly serve most Mississippians at the grass-roots level.
We need more chancery representation on the MSSC and COA. Only those who have practiced in chancery court really understand our procedures and how equity operates. So I applaud Judge Beam’s appointment. She will do a superb job on the third floor of the Gartin Justice Building. I only wish we had one more — or a couple more — to give her a little more support.
The Better Chancery Practice Blog 
Learned Chancellor Primeaux – Happy New Year!
I concur 1000% with your post. Perhaps this blog post
Could find its way to Governor Bryant’s office?
His new Chief of Staff, Joey Songe, previously practiced
In the 10th Chancery Court District before taking a job
In Jackson. Can I help?
Best regards,
R Doleac
Chancellor
You might help somebody, but not I. Not looking for that job myself. I am going to finish my career right here unless I’m kicked out before I’m ready to hang it up. A lawyer a little older than me told me the other day he is not ready to retire because it’s taken him this long just to get the hang of it! Happy New Year, Judge D!
[…] is Judge Primeaux’s post on the appointment, which is definitely worth the […]
Very well said, Judge Primeaux.
There are 2 on the COA – Gene Fair and Ceola James.
I could have been clearer in what I said. I wish there would be more chancellors rather than a token representation. Thanks for pointing that out.