Mississippi Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Virginia Carlton of Jackson, a native of Columbia, was recently honored for her judicial service.
The Mississippi Association for Justice named Presiding Judge Carlton as the recipient of the Justice James W. Kitchens Distinguished Jurist of the Year Award on June 13 during the Association’s annual convention in New Orleans.
The Distinguished Jurist of the Year Award is presented to a member of the judiciary who has demonstrated the principles of fair, honest, and open jurisprudence during service on the bench. Attorney Tripp Segars of Madison, MAJ Immediate Past President, said, “Judge Carlton’s integrity, professionalism and commitment both to justice and the rule of law is inspiring and necessary, especially in today’s climate, when the judiciary and rule of law have been questioned.”
Presiding Judge Carlton said, “I am humbled to have received this honor. I am truly moved by this recognition of my judicial service. I feel blessed to serve as a Presiding Judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. It is truly a collaborative court with a heart for the pursuit of justice. It is an honor and privilege to work hard each day for fair and impartial justice. Thomas Jefferson said, ‘The most sacred of the duties of a government is to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens.’”
Segars said, “MAJ has awarded the Distinguished Jurist of the Year to many deserving honorees over the years. This year was really special, as we renamed it the Justice James W. Kitchens Distinguished Jurist of the Year Award.”
Former Justice Kitchens said, “I was absolutely stunned when this was named for me. It was an honor.”
Judge McDonald was recognized for her 37 years of law practice and seven years as a Court of Appeals judge.
Judge McDonald said, “I was totally surprised, and it was a great honor. That was something special.”
She is among five women serving on the 10-member Court of Appeals. She said, “I just want other women lawyers to appreciate the work all of us do and the perspective that women lawyers bring.”
Judge McDonald’s former law practice included civil rights, voting rights, consumer protection, products liability “and just about everything else you can think of.” She began her legal career as an attorney representing the poor at the former Southwest Mississippi Legal Services in McComb. She argued her first case before the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in her first year out of law school. She worked for Legal Services for nine years, serving as staff attorney, managing attorney and executive director. She entered private law practice in 1991. She served as Municipal Judge in her hometown of Fayette for 23 years. She is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts of Mississippi and the U.S. Supreme Court.
She is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where she studied social science education. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Presiding Judge Carlton has served as a Judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals for 18 years. She is the second longest currently serving member of the Court of Appeals. She is a former legislator, having served House District 100 for three years. She served as an assistant district attorney and county public defender. She began her legal career as a Mississippi Supreme Court law clerk.
Judge Carlton is admitted to practice before all Mississippi courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
She had a long and distinguished military career, serving first as a U.S. Army JAG officer in legal positions including prosecutor, defense counsel, deputy staff judge advocate, staff judge advocate, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Army in Hawaii. She later served as Command and General Staff College Instructor, and as a U. S. Army Reserve military trial and military appellate judge. Her 24 ½ years of total military service included active duty, reserve duty, and National Guard duty. She retired from the military in February 2015 at the rank of Colonel.
Judge Carlton hails from Columbia, Mississippi, and she currently resides in Jackson. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
Judge Carlton actively contributes to the bench, bar, and the community. She has served on the Mississippi Children’s Justice Commission, the Mississippi Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee, and as Chairman of the 2020 Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention. She currently serves on the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission and on the Board of Governors of the Mississippi Judicial College. She also previously served as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law and at Belhaven College. Judge Carlton is a member of the North Jackson Rotary Club and was named 2020 Champion of Change by the Women in Rotary Committee of Rotary District 6820, which includes 45 Rotary Clubs. She was a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Columbia, Mississippi, and is a past chair of the Jackson Symphony League Ball.
