MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Simmons (12th), Blount, Boyd, Branning, Frazier, McCaughn, Norwood, Sparks, Thompson, Suber
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE PASSING AND RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANT JUDICIAL CAREER OF FORMER MISSISSIPPI SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JAMES L. ROBERTSON.
WHEREAS, we join the Mississippi legal profession in recognizing the record of service of former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James L. Robertson (83) who passed away on December 10, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Justice James L. Robertson was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, on July 30, 1940. He grew up in his beloved hometown of Greenville; and
WHEREAS, the Delta city is where the seeds of Justice Robertson's professional journey were planted as a cub sports reporter for the Delta Democrat Times, whose legendary editor Hodding Carter, Jr., was an early mentor. After graduating from Greenville High School, Robertson set off to Ole Miss and rose to become Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Mississippian. In this position, he challenged the school's approach to race-related matters. Robertson would go on to be inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Robertson's journalism career got sidetracked when he was admitted to Harvard Law School. In 1965, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard. Upon graduation, he returned to Greenville, where he joined the firm of Keady, Campbell and Delong, later Campbell and Delong. Robertson had an extensive trial practice representing school boards, farmers, maritime concerns, and various businesses and corporate clients, and he represented individuals from all walks of life. He felt a duty to seek justice for those who were underserved, a commitment he attributed to the example set by his parents, Susie and L.D. Robertson; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Governor William Winter appointed Robertson to fill a vacancy on the Mississippi Supreme Court, after which he was elected for a full eight-year term. Often exhibiting a literary flair, he authored nearly 800 opinions – majority, concurring and dissenting; and
WHEREAS, from 1977 to 1992, Robertson was a member of the faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Law. "Judge Jimmy," as he was known, was devoted to his students. He wanted them to know how much he valued them and hoped that his teaching efforts were beneficial to their future careers. He wished to be remembered for the wisdom he imparted on the last day of class. This lecture eventually became a 1983 Mississippi Law Review article, "The Lawyer as Hero"; and
WHEREAS, upon leaving the Supreme Court in 1992, Robertson spent a semester in Manhattan as visiting professor at Fordham University School of Law. In January 1993, he returned to private practice as a shareholder with Wise, Carter, Child & Caraway in Jackson, where he forged many professional friendships and enjoyed mentoring young associates and law clerks as they began their careers. At Wise Carter, he engaged in a general trial practice for 25 years; and
WHEREAS, a prolific writer, Robertson published numerous scholarly articles. An authority on the Mississippi Constitution, he wrote an entire volume on that topic in the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law. He also authored two books of more general appeal, Heroes, Rascals, and the Law (2019) and Rowdy Boundaries (2023), published by the University Press of Mississippi. The Capital Area Bar Association newsletter was a favorite outlet for his musings, particularly his reviews of major league baseball parks; and
WHEREAS, he considered his most significant professional affiliation to be his life membership in the American Law Institute, and he contributed to the revered Restatements of the Law. He was a Fellow of the American Bar Association and of The Mississippi Bar and a member of the American Inns of Court and numerous other professional organizations. He was also a board member of the Innocence Project New Orleans and the Mississippi Innocence Project at Ole Miss Law School and actively supported their work to seek justice for the victims of wrongful convictions; and
WHEREAS, for all his academic and professional accomplishments, Robertson showed the same zeal for his private interests. An enthusiastic jogger, he ran countless races in cities from New York to San Francisco. A lover of the opera, he traversed the country following performances of his favorites, especially Wagner, and he was President of the Mississippi Opera Association in 1996-97. An ardent sports fanatic, Robertson relished any opportunity to talk about seeing Ted Williams and Bill Russell play in person, or how he was in the press box to watch Johnny Vaught's greatest football teams and in the stands for the Billy Cannon punt return; and
WHEREAS, he is survived by his wife, Linda Thompson Robertson; three sons, Rob (Jenny), Lamar (Lauren) and Chris Robertson; a brother, Dr. L.D. Robertson (Julie); two sisters, Dr. Lucie Bridgforth and Bonnie Gardner (T.Y.); and five grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Justice Robertson leaves a great legacy of serving the public, the legal profession and the administration of justice over the span of his professional career. His love, commitment and lasting impact on his family, Mississippi jurisprudence and the State of Mississippi will be missed:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the passing and recognize the significant judicial career of former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James L. Robinson, and express the sympathy of the Legislature and our thanks for sharing James L. Robertson with us and with the State of Mississippi.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the family of Justice Robertson, forwarded to the Mississippi Supreme Court and The Mississippi Bar, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.