Governor Phil Bryant appoints Senator Will Longwitz Madison County Court Judge
Gov. Phil Bryant announced today that he has appointed Sen. Will Longwitz Madison County Court Judge.
Longwitz’ appointment is effective Wednesday, Jan. 20. He replaces Steve Ratcliff, who recently was elected circuit judge for the 20th Judicial District that includes Madison and Rankin counties. Longwitz will resign his Senate seat, which he has held since 2012. Gov. Bryant will set a special election as soon as possible to fill the vacancy.
Longwitz represented District 25, which includes parts of Madison, Ridgeland and Northeast Jackson. He sat on the Finance, Judiciary A, Insurance, Business and Financial Institutions, Ethics and County Affairs committees. He was vice chairman of the Senate Constitution Committee.
“I am humbled and honored by Governor Bryant’s faith and confidence,” Longwitz said. “I look forward to serving the people of Madison County in this role, and to working for the fair and efficient administration of justice in our state.”
Longwitz graduated from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. He holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University with majors in government and in English. He went to law school at Ole Miss, where he represented the school on the National Appellate Advocacy Competition Team, and where he was selected to the National Order of Barristers.
“Sen. Longwitz has done an outstanding job in the Senate the last four years, and I am confident he will do the same as Madison County Court Judge,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “He is well-suited for the bench, and I appreciate him accepting this appointment.”
Longwitz lives in Madison and has his own law practice in Ridgeland. He grew up in Quitman, and comes from a family of small business owners and schoolteachers.
Longwitz is vice chairman for the Natchez Trace Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He holds a committee leadership role on the Council of State Governments, a national public policy organization that includes all three branches of government. He is a member of the Madison-Ridgeland Rotary Club, the Madison County Bar Association, the Mississippi Bicentennial Commission and sits on the Tulane University Public Advisory Board. Longwitz is also a Henry Toll Fellow and an Eagle Scout.
He is married to the former Leigh Ann Cox of Madison, and they have two young daughters. They are members of the Chapel of the Cross in Madison.
Gov. Phil Bryant Press Release
1/19/16
Magnolia Tribune
