MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2022 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Gibbs (72nd), Banks, Bell (65th), Blackmon, Brown (70th), Clark, Clarke, Crudup, Holloway, Scott, Stamps, Summers, Watson, Yates
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE ESTEEMED LEGAL AND JUDICIAL CAREER AND PUBLIC SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE TOMIE TURNER GREEN AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT.
WHEREAS, after nearly 23 years of dedicated and zealous service as a barrister, arbiter and magistrate of the law, the Honorable Tomie Turner Green will retire her tribunal robe to the closet and silence her gavel of justice, after having first begun her prestigious career as a learned attorney and brilliant judge in 1999; and
WHEREAS, the oldest of four children born to David and Lizzie McPherson Turner, Judge Green was educated in the Jackson Public Schools, and after completing the 11th grade, she enrolled at Tougaloo College, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree, and continued her education at Jackson State University, where she earned a master of science degree, and finally, Mississippi College School of Law, where she earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence; and
WHEREAS, Judge Green continued to study law and practical application of the legal principles she had learned through post-doctorate training, including the study of advanced trial advocacy skills and techniques at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and the National College of Advocacy, and in April 1999, she completed judicial certification at the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada at Reno; and
WHEREAS, before assuming her seat on the bench, Judge Green practiced law for 15 years and not only served as an adjunct law professor at the Mississippi College School of Law, where she taught law students procedures for successful litigation and trial court practice, but also as a partner in the law firm of Walker, Walker and Green of Jackson, Mississippi, as an Assistant District Attorney for Hinds and Yazoo Counties, and as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Henry T. Wingate, the first federal judge in the State of Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, from 1992 until 1999, Judge Green served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, where she was appointed as vice-chair of the Ethics Committee and as sub-chair of the Judiciary A Committee and also served on the Elections, Insurance, Managed Health Care, Local and Private Legislation, Constitution and Investigation of State Offices committees; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure in the Mississippi Legislature, Judge Green had a record of supporting efforts to bring honor and
efficiency to the judiciary, she wrote laws that created the Administrative Office of the Court, the Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Torts Claim Board, and she promoted training, certification and increased benefits for court personnel, and her efforts to ensure diversity, fairness and justice in Mississippi's courts further substantiate her dedication, commitment and legacy of service to the community; and
WHEREAS, on January 4, 1999, Judge Green took the oath of office to become the first woman elected to the Hinds County Circuit bench, and after 10 years of dedicated service, she became
Senior Circuit Court Judge of the Seventh Circuit Court District (Hinds County) of Mississippi, making her the first African American and the first woman to hold the position; and
WHEREAS, as a senior judge, Judge Green, who has remained unopposed at the ballot box for five consecutive terms, equipped all four circuit courtrooms with computer-integrated technology, worked with the Mississippi Supreme Court to create online electronic filing in the Hinds County circuit court, and initiated video/remote arraignment in the district, which allows communications with jail detainees through the Internet; and
WHEREAS, Judge Green has never avoided difficult or controversial cases and continues her efforts to increase accessibility, efficiency and public safety in the circuit court through the review of court rules, the increased monitoring of pretrial indictees, more timely indictment and disposition of
criminal cases, the expansion of the circuit drug court, development of veterans, mental health/behavioral health programs, increased judicial security on and off court premises, more
timely disposition of civil matters through alternative dispute resolution, the broader use of digital and teleconferencing, and Internet streaming and/or closed circuit television for selected civil and criminal proceedings; and
WHEREAS, additionally, Judge Green has served two terms on the Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Rules and has served on the Supreme Court's Committee on Media and the Courts, and on July 1, 2003, media coverage in Mississippi's courtrooms became a reality when the first locally televised case in Mississippi originated in Judge Green's courtroom; and
WHEREAS, on November 10, 2003, Judge Green, along with Court TV and local ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates televised a multi-million dollar negligence case tried before the court and a Hinds County jury, marking the first time that Court TV or local networks had broadcasted full coverage of an entire trial in the State of Mississippi, and in November 2006, full media coverage of a second controversial criminal case was broadcasted from Judge Green's court by local networks and Court TV; and
WHEREAS, as a result of her academic excellence, professionalism, integrity, dedication and commitment to community service in her personal, political and professional life, Judge Green has received numerous honors and awards; and
WHEREAS, Judge Green is or has been a member of the Magnolia Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Hinds County Bar Association and the Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, and her prestigious memberships include Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the National Association of Black Legislators, Mississippi League of Women Voters, American Association of University Women and Central Mississippi Coalition of 100 Black Women, and she is currently a member of the St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church of Jackson,
Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, throughout her career, Judge Green received unwavering support from her late husband, Cornelious, as well as her daughter, Dr. Nikisha Ware, who is married to Dr. David Ware, her son, Synarus Green, and her two grandsons, Solomon Ware and Asa Ware; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend the remarkable career and public service of such an equally remarkable, talented, fair and knowledgeable individual as Judge Tomie Turner Green, who has dedicated her life to promoting and upholding the pristine principals of justice and providing intellectual interpretation of the laws of the State of Mississippi to maximize the benefits and protection of its citizens:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the esteemed legal and judicial career and public service of the Honorable Judge Tomie Turner Green, congratulate her upon the occasion of her retirement and extend warmest wishes for continued success in all of her future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Honorable Judge Tomie Turner Green and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.