Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill issued the following statement.
Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill, a former state court prosecutor and Jackson city councilman, announced his candidacy today for the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
“I have been honored to serve the people of Mississippi for more than 11 years as a circuit court judge presiding over the most active civil and criminal docket in the state, and as a city councilman,” Judge Weill said. “As a judge my focus has always been on public safety. By vigorously moving the criminal trial dockets forward hundreds of violent criminals can no longer terrorize our streets and homes.”
The ten judges currently on the court of appeals are from diverse judicial backgrounds, but unlike Judge Weill, none have experience as circuit court judges. These appellate judges routinely rule on appeals from circuit courts, including the overwhelming majority of felony criminal appeals.
“I firmly believe that adding a circuit court judge who has presided in many complex jury trials will enhance the ability of the appellate court to properly decide appeals from trial courts,” said Judge Weill. Weill noted that “my time spent in the trenches will bring a much needed practical viewpoint to the process.”
Judge Weill has presided in more than 130 jury trials to verdict during his eight years on the bench, and over 100 of those were criminal trials involving major felonies. Judge Weill also brings a wealth of civil litigation experience to the appellate bench, as a trial judge, a former litigator and a Harvard trained mediator. He served as judge in the largest and most complex state court civil litigation to date and authored more than 60 opinions in that case alone.
As a former assistant district attorney for District Attorney Dunn Lampton in Pike, Lincoln, Walthall and Copiah Counties, Judge Weill prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases throughout southwestern Mississippi.
Judge Weill is active in Covenant Presbyterian Church where he serves as an elder, Sunday school teacher and active participant in foreign missions. Judge Weill is a stalwart in the local community, lending regular support and aid to the Stewpot ministries, Meals on Wheels, and as an adult leader in Boy Scout Troop 302. He and his wife Tracy have been married for 30 years and have three Eagle Scout sons, Alan (26), Joshua (23) and Elliot (20).
The election will be held November 6, 2018.
Current position: Judge Weill is in his 8th year as a twice-elected Hinds County circuit court judge, presiding over the most active civil and criminal docket in Mississippi.
Position sought: Judge Weill seeks election to the Mississippi Court of Appeals-4th district as the only judge on the Court of Appeals with crucial experience as a Circuit Court trial judge.
The Court of Appeals is a 10-judge panel of Judges which hears appeals from lower courts, including Chancery and Circuit Courts. The court is made up of two judges from each of the five judicial districts in the state. The 4th district includes 15 counties: Adams, Amite, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, Hinds, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, Simpson, Walthall and Wilkerson.
Judge Weill:
• Currently serves as twice-elected Hinds County Circuit Court Judge
• Has Presided in over 130 jury trials, including 24 murder trials, and 59 assault/robbery trials
• Seeks to bring practical experience to the appellate bench as the only former circuit judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals
• Formerly served as state court prosecutor in Lincoln, Pike, Copiah and Walthall Counties, serving with District Attorney Dunn Lampton
• Formerly served as twice-elected Republican City Councilman in Jackson
• Practiced law for 28 years prior to the bench and tried more than 70 jury trials
• Taught Alternative Dispute Resolution as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi College School of Law
Friday, April 6, 2018
Weill wants Court of Appeals
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41 comments:
no.
Have never met the man but he looks to be extremely well qualified.
Judge Joe Lee deserves to be re-elected.
Judge Joe Lee is a nice guy. Everybody's friend. But he has totally lost it as a judge. Can't conduct a hearing - often forgets whether he is the judge or the attorney presenting the case. Should have retired q couple of years ago, but guess he was hoping he could slide by for a few more years.
If you want to see something sad, watch an oral argument when he is presiding on a panel. Hurts to see a friend whose mind is slipping.
Chief Judge Joe Lee.
@8:45
Not no. Hell no.
@8:56
If you had met him, your opinion would be different.
@9:04
You are correct, sir.
Totally agree with 9:15. Watching oral arguments where Justice Lee is on the panel is painful. I can't believe he is running again.
Ashley Ogden must be in here posting comments. Weill is a good judge and would be a great Ct of Appeals justice.
I hate Hinds County is losing Weill, but I am very happy to know we may get to keep him in the judicial system. I don't know much about Lee but from comments it sounds like he a nice guy that has served honorably but it may be time to retire. Anyone else running?
So far, according to the Secretary of State's Office, there are two people challenging Lee: Weill and Brad Clanton.
Jeff Weill is the only judge in Hinds County that can be counted upon to give a convicted criminal tough sentence. While I hate to see him leave the Hinds Cty bench, it is good to know that he isn't just quitting and seeks to move up. Joe Lee is a decent person but he has had health problems and should retire with honor.
Judge Weill also had the guts to give that white man who ran over and killed a black man in a Jackson parking lot the maximum penalty under the hate crimes law. A lot of white judges would have balked.
You can say what you want about Weill, but he is fair and balanced.
BradClanton is a Jackson attorney who from all reports is highly competent and a nice guy. However he has bit off more than he can chew by running in the Court of Appeals race, which covers the 14 or 15 counties of the old 4th Congress District (Mike Parker) and will require at least $150,000 to mount a significant campaign in. Clanton would be better off running for the Hinds County Circuit Court seat that Weill is giving up.
Weill is the same judge that got overturned on appeal for not knowing that a butcher knife is different than a steak knife.
10:53...I don't know where you eat, but at our camp, we use butcher knives for steak knives. Meanwhile; You prolly over there holding a steak between your fingers. We also see what you did in exaggerating the appeal outcome.
If the listing of counties is from him or his campaign, they may want to become more familiar with the district. There is no such county as “Wilkerson” in Mississippi, but there is a Wilkinson.
Weill is a great judge with a keen legal mind. He follows the law and has the patience of Job. He would be an excellent addition and improvement to the Court of Appeals.
Weill is a solid judge, and, as a bonus, he irritates people who need to be irritated. Crooks hate him, honest people (aka "victims") love his sentences.
Bonus: I don't think he ever wrote a poem in his life :-)
The Bonanza in Madison has the best steak knives.
Weill is above average for legal knowledge among Mississippi judges. He has to work hard in the courtroom to keep up an appearance of impartiality and at times fails to do so. I predict his media campaign will depict him as the lone wolf conservative in a sea [Hinds] of liberal good for nothings like the public defender and staff. Wonder where the money for a media campaign will come from? Holding office and claiming to be the hardest working judge isn't compatible with making a lot of appearances over outlying counties.
I’m an attorney in Jackson and respect Weill. I also know him personally and he is a very Godly man who truly seeks justice under the rule of law. Great family and would be a solid choice. I do not know chief Judge lee but know Weill has tons of relevant experience.
Matt Allen is a lock for Judge Weill's vacant position. Matt will be an excellent Judge.
I didn't know Matt was running. Truly good news. Smart, honest young man. I wish Jeff the best and hope he is successful. He is a neighbor of mine, and is so different than the narrative so many have been fed.
Matt Allen is not a lock for that seat. The district is about 75% African American. If there is a good black candidate, that person should win. Or if there is a moderate white who has trail lawyer connections, that person should be the front runner and certainly more electable than Allen.
“Trial lawyers”? What are you talking about? The ‘trial lawyers’ are broke. You can’t make money in Mississippi as a ‘trial lawyer’, The ones who still make money are doing it in other states and have no reason to contribute to a court of appeals race. For 95% of the ‘trial lawyers’ a court of appeals seat would be a big raise.
Hinds county should pray they get another judge the equivalent of Weill. Good man.
Love to hear about Matt Allen’s actual experience. I been around for decades and never even heard his name til daddy Ben was convicted
Talk about his jury trials since that is Weill’s legacy.
to april 6 at 4;18......"good for nothing , liberal public defenders office".........strap this one on tough guy. the public defender s office exists in order to fulfill the mandate of the 6th amendment right to counsel. are you really so stupid you are unaware of that?tell me..... is your job mandated in the us constitution?
He was being sarcastic, Einstein.
'Weill is above average for legal knowledge among Mississippi judges.' Lovely back-handed complement; I do think he is knowledgable about criminal law to a degree, but certainly not scholarly nor intellectual.
More of an actor/chameleon who imitates what the situation calls for. Huge ego for no particular reason.
He has found his niche, so be it....
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/10/08/how-often-circuit-judges-decisions-overturned/91269350/
Why would Weill think he’s qualified??
Western Sizzlin' in Ridgeland beats Madison's Bonanza, hands down! They also still have those real short ice-water glasses. On any given day you can find more lawyers at Western Sizzlin, if that's any indicator.
Not to be unkind, but, how does a man on the very cusp of senility 'deserve to be re-elected'? We're not talking here about the job of handing out Bingo Cards at the home.
WEILL was incompetent on the Circuit bench and got reversed all the time. He fundamentally lacks the intelligence to comprehend complicated legal issues. He just isn't smart enough to sit on a high court or any court for that matter. He is deliberately ignorant and has no desire to become learned in the field of law.
I really think Judge Weill is bipolar, and I know he does not have the temperament to be a judge. Also, a lot of his cases are reversed by the Supreme Court, which is an indication that he is not very competent in the law. I wish Judge Green would leave right behind Weill.
to april 6 at 10;22,,,,, ' FAIR AND BALANCED'.... WHERE HAVE I heard that before???
Regarding Weill's self-aggrandizing web page, someone needs to ask him if he actually and personally killed that alligator himself or if he is just high jacking someone else's feat... Just sayin
April 6th 4:18
These comments are dead on
Now if people will just open their eyes
And look into it
April 10. 12:16
100% correct !!!!!!
He is WAY to arrogant and egotistical
And diffenently way way to narcissistic
To even realize what a horrendous judge he
Is and either try to improve or leave.
April 6th. 12:49
I'm going to assume this is some kind of
sarcasm that's the only way it makes sense.
April 6th 10:22 am
You believe it took guts for judge well two sentence that guy who ran over someone two two life sentences?
That's pretty funny. The FBI was involved in that case and the guy was clearly caught on video tape what else was he going to do?
In that case he had someone else looking over his shoulder.
If you know anything about weill's courtroom you would never use the words fair and balanced.
He truly is the most biased partial not impartial
Judge I've ever seen.
The facts are out there please go find them and I realized when you're dealing with judges it can be extremely hard to find out the facts.
This is to you jj.
Couple years ago I started reading something on this blog and adding some comments some of which you did not post you screened the comments. So I stopped visiting this blog
Because I felt but if you were screening me who else were you screaming and it became evident that you only blogging what you saw fit for the people to know.
I thought I would check it out again for this election and once again you're only letting the people know what you choose and I believe that is dead wrong you're no better than the Networks maybe he's yours because you're right in that courthouse and you have seen stuff that the general public has not I feel like it should be your obligation to inform the public.
So I would really like email me you don't let things get out. Is the ad weill is paying you for to buy your compliance?
You have been up there and seen firsthand how he behaves in that Courthouse you have heard the lawyers talk you've heard the baliffs
talk you have seen firsthand his behavior.
You seen the mess he created with the public defenders you seem defendants that have gotten caught up in his temper tantrums you
We're up there when a bailiff or two signed
Affidavits testifying to his behavior and words he uses behind closed doors. You were
Up there during the time he sent us an 18 year old 220 years 12 to serve day-for-day
4 pictures of an underage girl coming through when he was looking at adult p*** several of the investigators in that case said they would not have brought charges BFDI said no the Special Assistant in the Attorney General's office said he would have never brought against this barely 18 year old. There was only a
20 day time span where anything was downloaded and almost all was deleted before it even finished downloading. Then Weill had a 36 year old man, Mark Rushing, who had been looking at hundreds and hundreds of very young girls for
Over 3 years and had pictures on every electronic device rushing owned including his computer at work. Weill sentenced him to
6 months 6 months that is absolutely mind blowing. I am sure it is a total coincidence
Rushing's dad and family and Weill are all from Tylertown Brookhaven. Travelstead case
was completely about vengeance getting even
With Allison Kelly. It was completely about him using his position to get even with her and put her in her place. I have had other lawyers tell me that they can say the exact same thing to Weill as a female partner and he'll take it from the male but won't take it from the female that's a serious serious problem.
Weill has said himself he cannot be impartial to Kelly so the proper thing to do would have been to send her cases to another judge.
However will is too narcissistic to do the right thing. When it went to the Supreme Court they gave him some scathing reviews.
You know he has numerous judicial commission investigation. I have heard from some several lawyers who go along because they said
"if I go to against Weill I have other clients before him and he will take it out on them". I came back with do you hear what you are saying and that is ok with you. They all said no but there was nothing to do.
That is some kind of disturbing to realize this guy can basically do whatever he feels like.
Their are many other examples of the same kind of behavior from this guy who is supposed to distribute justice yes justice not use the bench for his personal retaliation vengeance power hungry playgroud.
I could be a judge and say everybody comes to my courtroom starts at 10 years then I will add the punishment for their crime. That is "tuff on crime" but it is not justice.
You know this and much more about Weill and
It is Unconscionable that you have made a
Conscious choice to keep it from the voters.
Again that is dead wrong and you should be ashamed of yourself. Apparently you are Weill's friend and protector which is fine
Privately but as a judge that is a very very serious position have a competent judge.
I would really like to know as a couple years
ago why you have taken it upon yourself to decide what people should and should not know about this guy or any kind other candidate.
Is this an open discussion or is this a Blog about your opinion what you want people to know? If it is the latter you should let the readers know this is a total bias one sided blog.
Again I'll say it would be very different if you are not up at that Courthouse witnessing for yourself some of
the things that go on you have an obligation to report to the people ALL the facts not pick and choose through them to tell what you want people to know.
I would appreciate hearing from you.
neutrally100@outlook.com
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