Shirlee Fager Baldwin recently retired as a Marion County Public Defender after a long journey that led her to Mississippi, to Marion County and to a legal career where she remains highly esteemed, but with a lifelong love of learning she has carried with her for nearly seven decades, she isn't done yet.
Baldwin felt she realistically had 11 good years left to do the things she wanted to do and what she felt she needed to do. Her children were getting older, and her grandchildren were growing up. A situation arose where I was financially able to retire and felt it was the right thing to do.
Baldwin was honored at a ceremony at the Marion County Courthouse on Dec. 1. In attendance, showing how she was respected across partisan and adversarial lines, were numerous law enforcement officers, attorneys, public officials and friends and family members who have worked with her over the years.
Although she claims she is sad that she won't be in Columbia anymore, she has already been in town ice skating with her grandchildren since her retirement ceremony. She will also still be doing some part-time criminal law in Marion County, as well as working as an appointed floater if there's a conflict or overflow in city, justice or circuit court.
"Y'all can't get rid of me," she said. "I'm not the kind of person who can just sit at home on the porch."
Baldwin is divorced, has two children and nine grandchildren. Her daughter, Sereta Warren, works for Choices, CCS as a family facilitator, and her son, Father Alexis Baldwin, is an American Orthodox priest.
Her son graduated from Franciscan University in 2008, and she had visited and always liked it. She always wanted a master's degree, and then she got a postcard from Franciscan University. She spoke with someone about it and made an application for the theology program, which she spent four and a half years on and completed in November 2021.
"I encourage people to do it," she said. "You're never too old. I was 33 when I applied to law school and 64 when I started my master's. It was wonderful and helped my mind. Find your interests and just take a class."
She is considering using her theology degree to have some sort of jail ministry in Jones County where she lives but hasn't gotten far with that yet. She would like to provide them with comfort, guidance and enlightenment.
"If you listen to God, He will never steer you wrong," she said.
Baldwin was born in Indianapolis, Ind. and moved to Greenville in December 1984 after her husband got a job transfer. She said Mississippi was a big adjustment for her because she had never lived anywhere else.
"My husband was at work, and I went to get the utilities on," she said. "I couldn't understand a word they were saying. I called my husband, and he sent someone to be my interpreter. The man who was waiting on me took so long, I couldn't understand what he was doing because he was talking to various people and discussing what was going on at his church. He was just not in any hurry, and it was obvious the people behind me weren't upset. I was the only one upset. I wasn't used to the slow pace then, but I learned to love those very things."
After completing her undergraduate degree via mail in 1986 from St. Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Ind., Baldwin immediately applied to the University of Mississippi School of Law. She received her law degree in 1989 and moved to Hattiesburg to work as a lawyer. She said she didn't know anything and was scared to death.
Her family moved to Hattiesburg because she had a friend that was a couple of years ahead of her that lived there and because the family knew they weren't ever going back north. She said the weather was so much better, the people were so nice and the country life was so much simpler.
"We live in the best country in the world and I believe in one of the best states in the union," Baldwin said. "We have faults, don't get me wrong, but Marion County is my heart and Mississippi is my home."
Baldwin wanted to do criminal law and applied for a public defender position in Forrest County, but she said she felt they didn't want to give the work to a woman. She pointed out there weren't a lot of female attorneys in the area at that time.
She began to advocate for herself and wrote letters to Judges Michael Eubanks and Robert Prichard. They started appointing her to cases, the bulk of which were in Marion and Pearl River Counties. About 15 years ago, a job came open as the Marion County Public Defender, and it was Baldwin's at last.
"My heart is really sad about retirement," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better job. Pritchard assigned me but (Judge Prentiss) Harrell kept me. I have been blessed with really good judges. They are all different but all wonderful."
Baldwin likes criminal law because she likes the challenge of the David (public defender) and Goliath (the state) type of situation. She said the state has more money and time to spend on cases than the public defender's office.
"I love trying a case. I love speaking to the jury and doing cross examination," she said. "I like the litigation part. I really loved the people I worked with. Some people believe it's a very adversarial position, but it's not."
She said she gets along with the district attorney's office, clerks, law enforcement, constables and everyone else she has had to deal with. The challenges and the people she's met have made her job enjoyable.
"When I first became circuit clerk, I quickly learned that Shirlee talks loud, laughs loud and loves out loud," Marion County Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan said. "She is fierce when defending her clients, and she is a good friend."
Baldwin said she feels Marion County has one of the best law enforcement teams and legal systems because they are fair.
"They don't care about race. They are more concerned about the crime," she said. "I could see if they treated a defendant unfairly. If I saw it, I'd call them out on it. I don't go easy with them. I do know you are always going to get some lazy, overbearing cops. I believe it's been my job to protect the rights of the defendant. But I'd get them out of trouble, then six months later, I'd see them in Justice Court. The hardest thing about the job is seeing their children and grandchildren repeating the same patterns as the parents. I wish I could do something to break that cycle, but I don't have that skill set. The sex abuse cases were also hard."
She added that law enforcement officers would often ask for her advice or feedback when they lost a case, and she would frequently grill a rookie on the stand. She would tell them afterwards it doesn't get any easier and to be sure they wrote thorough reports and knew their cases backward and forward.
"You know who knows his stuff is Pete Williams," she said. "I tried to shake him, but he can't be shaken."
Williams, who helped celebrate her retirement, thinks the world of her as well.
"Shirlee is a special lady to me," he said. "She helped me with my case preparation. If you weren’t prepared, she would eat your lunch in the courtroom. However, after tearing you up on the stand, you could expect a hug and a big smile. Nothing personal, just business. I am going to miss working with her."
Baldwin is now taking ecclesiastical Latin through Veterum Sapientia Institute and loves it.
She quoted a friend as once telling her you can be 56 with a degree, or you can be 56 without one; either way, you are still going to be 56.
