The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 11/7/8
Judicial candidates who met with The Clarion-Ledger Editorial Board before the Nov. 4 election commented on the perception of a pro-business bias by the state Supreme Court.
Whatever the reasons, three of four incumbents were turned out Tuesday and a new court will have to deal with those perception issues.
On Tuesday, Chief Justice Jim Smith was defeated by attorney Jim Kitchens. Incumbent justices Chuck Easley and Oliver Diaz were also defeated, by Bubba Pierce and David Chandler, respectively.
Incumbent Justice Ann Lamar won, but only had been appointed a year ago.
The perception of bias was introduced as a factor when veteran Jackson attorney and former Bar Association president Alex Alston Jr. cited statistics from court rulings in a Clarion-Ledger article Sept. 28 that suggested that a victim of personal injury, malpractice or corporate fraud has almost no chance of having a jury verdict affirmed by the current court.
