History in the Making

With the 2020 election just a few weeks away, Mississippi is getting ready for a crucial moment in history. While all eyes are on the Presidential election and the Mike Espy and Cindy Smith rematch, another race can be a history-making moment for Mississippi.  In the Supreme Court Central District of Mississippi, Latrice Westbrook could become the first African-American woman on the nine-member court. Westbrook, a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, is facing incumbent Kenny Griffis for the District 1-Position 1 of the Mississippi Supreme Court on November 3rd.  The District 1 seat covers 22 counties in central Mississippi. Those counties include Bolivar, Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Madison, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo.  This would be a monumental election if Judge Westbrook is elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court because this would give African Americans access and a voice on the highest court in Mississippi.

With over 25 years of attorney experience, Westbrook has also served as a municipal judge, assistant district attorney, and a trial attorney. In 2017, she was elected as a Court of Appeals judge.

Only four African Americans have held a position on the Supreme Court since it was formed by Mississippi’s 1890 Constitution. They include Ruben Anderson, Fred Banks, James Graves, and Leslie King who is currently serving on the court. The same can be said for women; there have only been four. Lenore Loving Prather became the first, then Ann Hannaford Lamar, with Dawn Beam of Sumrall in the Southern District currently serving on the Supreme Court.

The Central District has an African American voting-age population of 51 percent according to the 2010 Census data. In the 2019 elections, the Central District Transportation Commission seat was won by Willie Simmons, becoming the first African- American to hold this position, which is from the same districts as Supreme Court justices.

With a Westbrook win, there would be two black justices on the Supreme Court for the first time, making this a historical moment for Mississippi.