5 May 2016

Contact: John Morgan Hughes

johnmorgan@jmhughesgroup.com 601.672.4988
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Judge Jim Kitchens is pleased to announce his candidacy for the Mississippi Supreme
Court, District 3, Position 1. Judge Kitchens currently serves as a Circuit Judge for the
Sixteenth Circuit Court District. He was first elected Circuit Judge in 2002 and has served
continuously since January 2, 2003. Prior to serving as Circuit Judge, he served as an
Assistant District Attorney for six years and prior to that he served for two years as a Law
Clerk at the Mississippi Supreme Court to Chief Justice Dan M. Lee.
The Supreme Court reviews cases from the lower courts and determines whether they
were tried in a fair and correct manner. Prospective Justices should bring trial experience as
a lawyer and as a judge with them to the Court. Judge Kitchens will bring twenty years of
Circuit Court Experience to the Supreme Court.
Judge Kitchens is an experienced judge. In almost 14 years as a Circuit Judge, Judge
Kitchens has presided over several thousand criminal cases and civil cases. He has
presided over 140 jury trials. As a prosecutor he tried over 60 jury trials and as a law clerk at
the Supreme Court he has written a number of opinions that were published as the majority
opinion of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Judge Kitchens is a hard worker. Judge Kitchens has been appointed as a special circuit
judge in other counties throughout the State by the Mississippi Supreme Court to handle
election contests and other lawsuits. He has worked tirelessly since being elected in 2002 to
reduce the circuit court backlog in his district.
Judge Kitchens is a leader in the Judiciary. Judge Kitchens has served as the Secretary
and Vice-Chair and Chair of the Mississippi Conference of Circuit Judges. In 2007, he
served as the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Task Force on Justice Court Reform. He has
also served on the Plain Language Jury Instruction committee and has served on the Justice
Court Rules Committee. He currently serves on the curriculum committee for the Mississippi
Conference of Circuit Judges. Judge Kitchens currently serves on the Legal Studies
Advisory Board at MUW.
Judge Kitchens is qualified to serve. He earned his undergraduate degree from
Mississippi State University in 1989 (B.B.A., Economics). He earned his law degree from
Mississippi College School of Law in 1993 where he served on the Moot Court Board and
was Law Student Bar Association President. He is admitted to all of the trial courts in the
State and has been admitted to practice in all of the Federal Courts of this State. He has
also been admitted to practice before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge
Kitchens is a graduate of the General Jurisdiction Course and the Advanced Evidence
Course at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. Judge Kitchens has also
completed a number of Law and Economics Courses at George Mason University in
Arlington, Virginia.
Judge Kitchens is proud to call this district his home. He and his wife Jo Ann, are the
fourth generation of Kitchens to call Lowndes County their home. Jim and Jo Ann are the
children of career soldiers and they lived throughout the world during their childhood. They
have two nieces and six nephews that they spoil whenever they can. They have four dogs
and eleven cats. Jim and Jo Ann belong to Annunciation Catholic Church in Columbus. Jim
and Jo Ann are active supporters of the Palmer Home for Children; the Columbus-Lowndes
Humane Society; the New Hope Service Club and Loaves and Fishes.
The Committee to Elect James (Jim) Kitchens is proud to support Judge Kitchens for
Mississippi Supreme Court and believes that he will be fair and impartial in faithfully and
objectively following the laws of the State of Mississippi.

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