Mississippi Republican Party endorses Lamar, Pierce, Smith, Chandler

Yesterday, the Mississippi Republican party endorsed Ann Lamar, Randy Pierce, Jim Smith, and David Chandler for the Mississippi Supreme Court. From the release:

“These four individuals have demonstrated experience, integrity, fairness and a commitment to the Mississippi values the Republican Party supports,” said Republican Chairman Brad White.

In the Central District, the Republican Party endorsed Chief Justice Jim Smith for reelection. “As Chief Justice, Jim Smith has led the Supreme Court to timely hearings and has cleared judicial backlogs. With a proven record of fair leadership as Chief Justice, we endorse him for reelection.”

The GOP endorsed Chancery Judge Randy “Bubba” Pierce for the Southern District post currently held by Oliver Diaz. White said, “Judge Pierce represented his constituents with honor and integrity as Chairman of the Education Committee in the House of Representatives. The Democrats there started giving him the cold shoulder when he showed his independence and voted with his fellow conservatives for tort reform. And after being appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to the judiciary, Judge Pierce continues to demonstrate fairness, integrity, and a commitment to Mississippi values.”

“When Governor Barbour appointed Ann Lamar to the Supreme Court, he made a wise choice,” White said of the Republican’s endorsement in the Northern District, Place One. He continued, “As a prosecutor, Ann Lamar put criminals in jail. As a circuit judge she demonstrated fairness to all parties. Now she serves with distinction as the only woman on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and with her decisions she demonstrates integrity and a commitment to being fair and unbiased.”

For Post Two in the Northern District, the Mississippi GOP chose Appeals Court Justice David Chandler over the incumbent Chuck Easley. “There is no question, no doubt that David Chandler will make a better Supreme Court Justice than has Chuck Easley. Chandler’s professionalism and competence outshines Easley’s record in every respect,” White said.

In 1998, the Mississippi legislature changed election laws to require judicial candidates to be nonpartisan. In 2002, the federal court ruled in response to a case filed by the Mississippi Republican Party “that a state may not directly suppress core political speech of a political party concerning the merits of judicial candidates by prohibiting the party from endorsing or financially supporting judicial candidates.”

“Ever since the federal courts returned our freedom of political speech, the Mississippi Republican Party has made endorsements of judicial candidates. We will communicate our endorsements to Mississippians and encourage voters who agree with the principals of the Mississippi Republican Party to support and vote for these candidates,” White said.