MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2016 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Dearing, Witherspoon, Blount, Blackwell, Branning, Fillingane, Frazier, Norwood, Parker, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Burton
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING FOUR DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE BY FORMER CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE JOE NED PIGOTT OF MCCOMB, MISSISSIPPI, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE ON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, former Circuit Court Judge Joe Ned Pigott of McComb, Mississippi, a respected jurist, District Attorney and member of The Mississippi Bar, passed away on November 3, 2015, at the age of 90; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pigott was born October 13, 1925, in Walthall County, Mississippi, the son of John Douglas Pigott and Patty Lou Williams Pigott; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from McComb High School and attending Southwest Mississippi Junior College, he volunteered for military service in World War II. As a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer in Europe, he parachuted alone numerous times behind enemy lines, gathering intelligence for use in the Allied advance, destroying ancient bridges to thwart Nazi retreats, and escaping from imprisonment by the Nazi SS, all before his 20th birthday. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was the American soldier who ordered a mob in Milan, Italy, which had hung the body of Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini, to cut the body down and disperse; and
WHEREAS, after World War II, Joe attended the University of Mississippi and its law school, fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer. He began practicing law in 1953, and later that year married Lorraine Holleman, beginning over 61 years of marriage, ending with Lorraine's death in June 2015; and
WHEREAS, in 1955, Joe began four decades of public service, first as Pike County Attorney, then as District Attorney for Pike, Walthall, Lincoln and Copiah Counties, and then as the only Circuit Court Judge for the same counties between early 1975 and mid-1992. He also served without pay as the Board Attorney for the McComb Public School District during the 1960s; and
WHEREAS, as a practicing lawyer, prosecutor and judge, Joe Pigott was widely respected for his knowledge of the law, and for his gifts at storytelling. National Public Radio's Storycorps Project twice selected stories told by him, one from his courtroom life and one from his childhood, for national broadcast. He was a supporter of the Pike-Amite County Library, the Pike County Arts Council, and the Mississippi's Toughest Kids Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Joe Pigott is survived by four of his children: Brad Pigott (Margaret), Linda Pigott Robinson (Tom), James Holleman Pigott and John William Pigott; four grandsons: David Pigott, Christopher Robinson, Chris Pigott and Carter Robinson; and his brother, Arthur (Carlene) Pigott. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Carol Jean Pigott, and his sister and three brothers; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pigott consistently lectured on professional standards of the practice, including ethics, integrity, civility, courtesy and adherence to the Golden Rule. Joe's life honored both The Mississippi Bar and this great state that he loved and served:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize four decades of public service by former Circuit Court Judge Joe Ned Pigott of McComb, Mississippi, and express the sympathy of the Legislature on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Judge Pigott, forwarded to The Mississippi Bar, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.