Jackson Jambalaya

The Supremes hammered Hinds County Chancellor Tametrice Hodges-Linzey after she forced attorney Matthew Thompson to pay $1,500 for contempt of court.    

The case begins with a rather nasty divorce.  James and Angela Jones divorced in 2011 in Hinds County Chancery Court.  They had one child and had joint legal custody although Angela had primary physical custody.  The order of divorce gave standard visitation to the father.  He have his son every other weekend and four non-consecutive weeks during summer vacation.  

The case was assigned to Chancellor Denise Owens.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, Angela almost immediately began violating the visitation order and refused to let James see his son.  James took her back to Court in 2015. Judge Owens found Angela interfered with her ex-husband's visitation, not allowing him a full weekend of visitation for more than three years. The Court also held Angela owed James $6,000 for a medical debt.  

The non-co-parenting parents wound up back in court again for the same issues in 2022 when James filed a second petition for contempt of court, claiming Angela was not allowing him to have reasonable visitation with their son.  The petition claimed Angela still owed James $5,472 on the medical debt.  Chancellor Hodges-Linzey replaced Judge Owens on the bench when she retired and assumed control of the case.  This is where the real fund begins.  

The two parents agreed to a temporary order increasing James's visitation to what's required in the divorce.  However, Angela could not leave matters well enough alone and filed an emergency motion to suspend all visitation because James was getting his first visit with his son in six years.  A hearing was held.  

James blamed Angela for the dismal state of affairs with his visitation, claiming Angela allowed him to have only a few visits with his son over the years.  Angela admitted she did not allow visitation after a three-hour visit in 2023 nor did she give him any of his summer visitation after 2015.   However, Angela had a ready-made excuse when questioned on the stand.  

Angela claimed under oath her lawyer told her she did not have to exercise visitation after the order was entered in 2023.  Thompson did not dispute her testimony in Court.  

Unfortunately James, his son testified he had "deep animosity" towards his father.   More evidence was presented showing how fractured the relationship was between father and son. 

Chancellor Hodges-Linzey found Angela disobeyed the two judges without providing an excuse.  She incarcerated Angela for thirty days to enforce compliance and granted custody to James.   The change of custody did not improve the relationship between James and his son.

Concerned with whether Angela ignored court orders on advice of her attorney, the Chancellor ordered a show cause hearing be held on May 28, 2024 for her lawyer, Matthew Thompson.  Thompson did not appear and sent attorney Chad King in his place.  Mr. King explained to the Court Mr. Thompson was traveling with his son on his senior trip in North Carolina and would return later in the week.  After pointing out Mr. Thompson did not notify the Court he would be absent, Judge Hodges-Linzey  rescheduled the hearing for June 3.  

Mr. Thompson sent the Chancellor a letter explaining why he was absent on the morning of the hearing.  The letter argued the Judge did not specifically require the attorney to be present in the Show Cause hearing order.  He wrote he was not trying to violate the order and sent Mr. King in his stead.  

To say the judge was not happy is an understatement.  She held the hearing later that day and told Matthew Thompson, Esq. the Court expects everyone to appear when it issues a show cause order as the Court wanted to speak directly to him.  

Now the fun began as Judge Hodges-Linzey drilled Mr. Thompson: 

THE COURT: Okay. Now, one of the main reasons for this show-cause hearing was that the Court heard something very concerning during the fullday hearing in this matter. One of those concerning things outside of visitation never having happened since 2011 was that your client, Ms. Gartman, made the -- well, she stated on the stand during her direct testimony when the Court was examining her that . . . once you filed your emergency petition to terminate visitation or to stop visitation, that she was told that she did not have to follow this Court’s order to continue visitation in this matter. And when the Court inquired further by asking, “Well, who told you you didn’t have to do that?”

She stated, “my attorney.” And then when I continued to inquire even further, she persisted that you told her that she did not have to follow this Court’s order that was entered last year regarding the visitation of the minor child.

That’s extremely concerning to the Court. This case is unique in that visitation -- the mother has not allowed visitation. She’s been really good at doing that on her own.

And you-all made an agreed order. Y’all came to your own agreement about visitation. And then she stated that she didn’t have to follow it because you had filed a motion on her behalf….

The Court was not finished chewing out the bow-tied-wearing lawyer: 

Usually, attorneys will stand before the Court and make some response and tell the Court, no, that’s not what happened. Instead, you sat with your head down especially when I asked should I hold you responsible for not obeying the Court’s order or should I hold your attorney responsible or should I hold you both responsible?

And at that point, she really didn’t have a response. She was looking to you, and you did not provide one….

before finding Matthew Thompson in contempt of court: 

And so I have to hold you responsible, and I’m going to sanction you $1500 to be paid into the court registry by this Thursday at 12 noon. If it’s not paid, we will happily take you into custody.

And then I will do whatever I need to do to suspend your bar license if you feel that this Court isn’t serious about the sanction.

Mr. Thompson said he never told Angela Jones not to follow any order of the Court.  He never had the opportunity to question her in court because the Chancellor stopped the hearing at 7 PM and ordered the parties to return in several months to finish the hearing.  Thus, Judge Hodges-Linzey possibly held the lawyer in contempt of court based on incomplete testimony.  

Angela eventually paid James in 2024.  However, the son's animosity towards his father ran so deep that James relinquished his parental rights.  

Ms. Jones appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court.  

The Justices made short work of Judge Hodges-Linzey, holding the sanctions were improper.  The Court held Mr. Thompson was not properly noticed for a constructive criminal contempt proceeding.  The Chancellor violated his rights to due process by failing to recuse herself from the contempt proceeding. 

The Mississippi Supreme Court sent the case back to the Chancellor and ordered her to recuse herself from contempt proceedings.  The Court directed the Chancery Clerk to return $1,500 to Matthew Thompson.  

The Court also refused to refer Judge Hodges-Linzey to the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, counseling Angela she could file a complaint against the Chancellor either under her own name or anonymously at the Commission.