Gov. Bryant Appoints Judge David M. Ishee to Mississippi Supreme Court

Gov. Bryant Appoints Judge David M. Ishee to Mississippi Supreme Court

Gov. Phil Bryant announced today that he has appointed Judge David M. Ishee to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Ishee’s appointment is effective Sept. 18. He will replace Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson, who has accepted the appointment of commissioner of Mississippi Child Protection Services.

“Judge Ishee’s extensive experience in presiding over cases for more than two decades in Mississippi will serve him well on our state’s highest court,” Gov. Bryant said. “I am pleased he has agreed to accept this appointment.”

“It’s a great honor to be appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court. It has been something I have aspired to for most of my career, and I greatly appreciate the governor’s confidence in me,” said Ishee. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues on the Supreme Court.”

Ishee was appointed in 2004 to the Mississippi Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Haley Barbour. During that time, Ishee was appointed by the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court to chair the Criminal Section of the Model Jury Instructions Revision Committee, which revised the Criminal Model Jury Instructions for the circuit courts of Mississippi. He has also served as a special circuit court judge and chancellor in numerous counties by appointment of the Mississippi Supreme Court.

In 1999 he was appointed municipal court judge for the city of Gulfport. At the age of 29, in 1993, he was appointed municipal court judge for the city of Pascagoula, making him the youngest municipal court judge in Mississippi. He was re-appointed for a second term in 1996. During this time, he also served one year as interim municipal court judge for the city of Ocean Springs, and was judge pro tem for the Jackson County Youth Court, where he presided over numerous child custody hearings as well as hearings involving abused and delinquent children.

Ishee graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1985 with a bachelor of science in history. He also attended the University of London and received his juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

He is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where he serves as an usher and a staff Parish Committee member.

Ishee lives in Gulfport with his wife, Linda, and their daughter, Lauren.

Gov. Phil Bryant Press Release
8/31/17