Judge
George Carlson was appointed to the State Supreme Court by Governor Ronnie
Musgrove to fill the Northern District seat vacated by Justice Mike Mills.
The longtime Batesville resident will mark his third anniversary on the
Court this October.
Prior
being elevated to the state’s high court, Carlson served for almost
two decades as Circuit Judge for DeSoto, Panola, Tallahatchie, Tate, and
Yalobusha Counties.
Carlson
is running for re-election this year against Columbus attorney Bill Bambach.
1.
How has the atmosphere changed on the Mississippi Supreme Court over the
past year? Admittedly,
when I came to the Court over 2 ½ years ago, there was division
on the Court. But over the past year, there has been much change for the
better. We have just recently eliminated our back log of cases on direct
appeal which were over 270 days old from the time they were submitted
to the Court for decision. The Court is currently comprised of hard-working
judges who are making every effort to efficiently, but correctly, decide
the cases before us on a timely basis for the sake of the citizens who
come before us.
2.
What is your typical day like on the Court? I
have always been an early riser. I wake up, exercise, and arrive at the
Court between 6:30 – 7:00 a.m., and remain until 7:30 – 8:00
p.m. I ordinarily eat both breakfast and lunch at the office. There is
too much time wasted by attempting to go out and eat. The goal each day
is to be working on opinions for cases which have been assigned to me.
Also, I study opinions which have been written by the other justices to
see if I agree or disagree with the opinions. Each justice will “vote”
to agree or disagree on the proposed opinions which are written by the
other justices. If I disagree with an opinion written by another justice,
then I will write a separate opinion – ordinarily a dissenting opinion.
I have a dedicated and hard working staff in my office – a Judicial
Assistant and two Law Clerks, who greatly assist me in my work.
3.
Are there reforms that need to be made to Mississippi’s judicial
system? Absolutely.
Before arriving at the Supreme Court on November 1, 2001, I served as
a circuit judge in a 5-county district in northwest Mississippi for 19
years. I have to admit that prior to arriving at the Court, I was unaware
of some problems which existed in our judiciary around the state, both
at the trial and appellate levels. In my opinion, we have an outstanding
state judiciary; however, as I have said many times before, that although
we have an exemplary system of justice, it is not perfect because of the
fact that it was devised and continues to be implemented by mere human
beings. Because of that, our system of justice will sometimes fail; however,
I am convinced that it is the least imperfect system of justice which
has ever existed on this Earth. We must continue to look at our existing
Mississippi judicial system to see how it can be improved for the sake
of our citizens. I feel an obligation to our citizens to be aggressive
in attacking any existing problems in our system. We at the Court want
to continue to make sure that all parties coming into our state courts
have a level playing field. All trial and appellate judges need to be
about the business of strictly interpreting our laws and not “legislating.”
Judges through their decisions do not need to be attempting to write the
law. Our decisions and rules changes over the past few months indicate
an overall desire of the Court to bring some consistency to how certain
cases are tried in Mississippi
4.
What do you do with your spare time? If
my wife and children answered this question for me, they would probably
respond “what spare time?” My past hobbies pretty well became
non- existent when I went on the circuit court bench in 1983. As any Mississippi
trial or appellate judge can tell you, there is simply not too much spare
time in the life of a judge. The spare time I do have, I try to make sure
is devoted to church and family.
5.
What’s more exciting: a South Panola football game or the typical
case on the Supreme Court docket? You
really put me on the spot with this question. I suppose that it is like
comparing apples and oranges. I love my work at the Court. Every case
brings on a unique challenge, no matter how routine it may appear. I have
often said that open heart surgery may be routine for that doctor who
has performed hundreds of similar surgeries, but it is not routine for
that patient on the operating table (or that patient’s family).
Likewise, although we may have “typical” cases, we as judges
recognize that it is an important case for those directly involved in
the case – and that is how I approach every case. I have been honored
for a good many years to be a part of the radio crew broadcasting South
Panola football every Friday night during the football season. My family
has recognized this is a welcome outlet for me after a week in Court.
I am a South Panola graduate, so this is certainly a labor of love. I
am proud to be associated with such outstanding coaches and players. Our
coaches are persons of high character who teach our players much more
than the game of football, and our players are really outstanding young
men who have responded to what our coaches are trying to teach them.
Judge
George Carlson was appointed to the State Supreme Court by Governor Ronnie
Musgrove to fill the Northern District seat vacated by Justice Mike Mills.
The longtime Batesville resident will mark his third anniversary on the
Court this October.
