This is a list of the first minority male lawyers and judges in Mississippi, United States. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are men who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history

Lawyer

* James Henry Piles (1869): First African-American male lawyer in Mississippi

State judges

John R. Lynch John Roy Lynch (September 10, 1847 – November 2, 1939) was an American writer, attorney, military officer, author, and Republican politician who served as Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives and represented Mississippi in th ...

: First African American male to serve as a judicial officer in Mississippi (1869) * Reuben V. Anderson (1967): First African-American male to serve as a judge since Reconstruction in Mississippi (1977) and on the

Mississippi Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

(1985)

Federal judges

Halil Suleyman Ozerden Halil Suleyman "Sul" Ozerden ( tr, Halil Süleyman Özerden) (born December 5, 1966) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and a former nominee to be a Circuit Judge for the ...

: First Turkish American male to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (2007) *

James E. Graves Jr. James Earl Graves Jr. (born November 19, 1953) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Early years The son of a Baptist minister, Graves was born and raised i ...

(1980): First African-American male to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Mississippi (2011)

United States Attorney

* Tyree Irving: First African American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Mississippi (1978) orthern District of Mississippi

District Attorney

* Willis E. Mollison (1887): First African American male to serve as a District Attorney in Mississippi (1893)

Assistant District Attorney

* Clell Ward: First African American to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Mississippi (1975)

Bar Association

* Reuben V. Anderson (1967): First African American male to serve as the President of the Mississippi Bar Association

Firsts in local history

* Scott Colom: First African American male to serve as the district attorney for a majority-white district in Mississippi (2015). He was the first African American to serve as the prosecutor for

Columbus, Mississippi Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwa ...

. He was also the African American male judge in Lowndes County, Mississippi (2011) and a municipal court judge in Aberdeen, Mississippi (2012) nowiki/>Monroe County, Mississippi">Monroe_County,_Mississippi.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Monroe County, Mississippi">nowiki/>Monroe County, Mississippi * Reuben V. Anderson (1967): First African-American male judge in Hinds County, Mississippi (1977) * Louis Westerfield: First African American male to serve as the Dean of University of Mississippi School of Law (1994) [Lafayette County, Mississippi] * Rickey Thompson: First African American male judge in

Lee County, Mississippi Lee is a County (United States), county in Mississippi. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 82,910. The county seat is Tupelo, Mississippi, Tupelo. Lee County is included in the Tupelo micropolitan area, Tupelo Mic ...

* Rod Hickman: First African American male to serve as the County Attorney of Noxubee County, Mississippi (2019) * John Wilchie: First African American male to serve as a Justice Court Judge in

Tallahatchie County, Mississippi Tallahatchie County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,715. Its county seats are Charleston and Sumner. Tallahatchie County is located in the Mississippi Delta region, divided by the Tallah ...

* Clell Ward: First African American to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of

Washington County, Mississippi Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,137. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washingt ...

(1975)

References

{{Reflist Minority, Mississippi, first Minority, Mississippi, first Lists of people from Mississippi Legal history of Mississippi Mississippi lawyers