MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2018 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Bain, Aguirre, Boyd, Carpenter, Gibbs (36th), Huddleston (15th), Steverson, Turner, Gunn
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE ESTEEMED LEGAL AND JUDICIAL CAREER AND PUBLIC SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE TOMMY GARDNER RENDERED TO THE CITIZENS OF MISSISSIPPI AS SENIOR CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT COURT DISTRICT AND CONGRATULATING HIM UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT.
WHEREAS, after nearly 52 years of dedicated and zealous service as a barrister, arbiter and magistrate of the law, the Honorable Tommy Gardner will retire his tribunal robe to the closet and silence his gavel of justice, after having first begun his prestigious career as a learned attorney and brilliant judge in 1966; and
WHEREAS, for more than 37 years, the Honorable Judge Tommy Gardner has proffered the State of Mississippi and its citizens provident judicial service as Senior Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit Court District, after having first assumed his seat on the bench upon his election in 1980; and
WHEREAS, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, where he was educated in the city's public school system and later matriculated at Millsaps College before traveling to Oxford to earn his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1966, where he served as chairman of the Moot Court Board and member of Phi Delta Phi; and
WHEREAS, Judge Gardner's prestigious career as a learned attorney entailed matters of the civil and criminal natures while practicing as a public defender in the Circuit Court of Lee County, a city prosecutor for the City of Tupelo and as assistant District Attorney until the time of his election to the bench in 1980; and
WHEREAS, equally committed to the service and protected liberties of this state and nation, Judge Garner joined the elite fraternity of soldiers when he enlisted to serve in the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, a 1981 graduate of The National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, Judge Gardner, who has always demonstrated himself to be a driven and hardworking individual, furthered his expanded judicial acuity by undergoing additional judicial college studies in 1985; and
WHEREAS, having gained the respect of his peers and colleagues as both a client's advocate and judicial officer, his ethical morale, character and rapport precedes him in the legal and civic communities, as evidenced by his lengthy list of accomplishments, accolades, recognitions and positions, including: an established record of conservative leadership as Senior Circuit Court Judge, both in and outside of the courtroom; serving as principal judge in the establishment of the Office of the Court Administrator for the First Judicial District; and promulgating the organization and rules for the office, which have set the standard for the state; and
WHEREAS, a member of the First United Methodist Church, Judge Gardner remains adamantly vigorous in his efforts of giving back to the community through social, civic and charitable organizations, as: a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason (KCCH); a life member of the National Rifle Association; a director of the Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls; a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity; a Kiwanis; an affiliate of the Mississippi Horse Council; and an affiliate of the Community Development Foundation (CDF); and
WHEREAS, before and throughout the length of his spectacular career, Judge Gardner has been privileged to experience the blissfulness of love, support and encouragement from his wife, the former Sue Overton, their two children, Tommy and Sadie, and granddaughters, Caroline Margaret Gardner and Katherine Rainey Gardner; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend the remarkable career and public service of such an equally remarkable, talented, fair and knowledgeable individual as Judge Gardner, who has dedicated more than five decades of his 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, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the esteemed legal and judicial career and public service of the Honorable Judge Tommy Gardner rendered to the citizens of Mississippi, congratulate him upon the occasion of his retirement from public service and extend warmest wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Honorable Judge Tommy Gardner and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.