Attorney Joseph Denson announced his intention Monday to run for Justice Court in District 3 after 14 years of practice in the Meridian area. 

“I’ve been in courtrooms across this county, across the state where I’ve seen a defendant without a lawyer be denied basic constitutional rights while he or she was simply attempting to mount a defense against a criminal charge lodged against them,” Denson said. “I’ve witnessed jail time threatened and enforced on defendants simply because they couldn’t pay strict minimum fines upon the finding of guilt.”

The Chancery Court, Circuit Court and County Court are all runs by lawyers, Denson said, whereas Justice Court has many pro se defendants, or defendants representing themselves. Denson said he saw judges rule based on their feelings or theories and not the law, saying he wished he could step in for those defendants. 

“I believe in the Justice Court and, should I be judge, I will take the time to make sure I hear the entire case,” Denson said. “I just believe I can be more effective in Justice Court as a judge than as a defense attorney.”

Denson focused on the intersection of poverty, race and other factors in the courtroom, saying that he’d seen judges give more weight to the testimonies of law enforcement officers “simply because they carried a badge.”

“A judge should be fair. A judge should not honor the badge over our time-honored constitutional right to the presumption of innocence… a judge should respect all parties that come before his court, (including) prosecutors,” Denson said. “I believe that judges should respect law enforcement officers because as law enforcement officers they protect and serve this community… I understand that and I believe they should be respected. But I also believe that a defendant that comes before the court should be given the same amount of respect.”

Denson said he wanted to be clear that should law enforcement provide enough evidence and a county prosecutor presents that, then of course a defendant should be found guilty.

In particular, Denson said he wanted to focus on signing warrants for arrests, a duty of a Justice Court Judge that Denson said shouldn’t be rubber stamped.

“I have witnessed families spending money they didn’t have and borrowing money that they couldn’t afford because someone rushed to judgment presenting or signing a felony warrant,” Denson said. “As a criminal defense attorney, I’ve represented people who would have saved a lot of money if the judge had gone back and said, ‘You know, maybe go back and give me some more evidence before I sign this warrant.'”

Denson pointed out that many lives can be ruined on the simple accusation of a charge, even if that person spends only a week in jail they may still lose their job, which affects their ability to pay bills in the long run.

“We’re talking about the small cases that come in every day,” Denson said.

Denson will run against Paul Earley II, a former deputy with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department. The Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors appointed Earley to succeed Darrell Theall, who retired in Feb. 2018. Earley faced no opponents in a special election in Nov. 2018.

“It has been a learning experience. There’s a few things I’ve learned and things that I continue to learn because people are always learning,” Earley said. “I really do enjoy my job.”

Earley, a Meridian native, began his law enforcement career with the Jackson Police Department in 1990 and joined the Meridian Police Department in 1994 before becoming a deputy with Lauderdale County in 2000.

“I got to learn a lot of the laws in Lauderdale County and serve the community for more than 20 years in law enforcement, Earley said. “It’s about the people of Lauderdale County and serving their interests. I just want to continue serving.”

Earley said he’d grown along with the other Justice Court judges, which are divided between four districts, as they held court a few times a month.

“I’ve learned to listen to people because everyone has a side and everyone has a reason,” Earley said. “Judges need to pay attention and that’s what I feel like I do.”

Earley said that he didn’t mind having an opponent in the race.

“I welcome that challenge – that’s how you grow,” Earley said. “And that’s how this country was built.”

District 3 covers the northwestern corner of Lauderdale County, from the borders of Newton and Kemper counties along highway 19 and some portions of Meridian, including the West End Place district between 8th Street and Railroad Street and a section from 22nd Avenue to 35th Avenue between 22nd Street and 25th Street. 

To qualify as a Justice Court Judge, candidates must be county residents for up to two years preceding the election, have a high school diploma or equivalent and complete their training requirements within six months of beginning their term in office. All candidates seeking public office must be registered voters and have no felony convictions. The filing deadline for candidates is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1.

Voters trying to determine their voting districts for the November election should check their voter registration cards since the “split districts” don’t match districts for either county supervisors or state legislature seats. Voters should check that the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk’s office has their most current information, including an updated address, before the election.