Bill Text: MS HC27 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Mississippi House Concurrent Resolution 27 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Justice David Chandler; commend upon retirement from Mississippi Supreme Court after distinguished career.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)

Status: (Passed) 2016-02-12 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HC27 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2016-HC27-Enrolled.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2016 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representatives Hood, Beckett, Roberson, White, Lamar, Campbell

House Concurrent Resolution 27

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING JUSTICE DAVID ANTHONY CHANDLER UPON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE MISSISSIPPI SUPREME COURT AFTER A DISTINGUISHED CAREER AND NEW APPOINTMENT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES.

WHEREAS, Justice David Anthony Chandler has left his elected post on the highest court in the State of Mississippi after Governor Phil Bryant appointed him as the Executive Director of the Division of Family and Children's Services, and even though Justice Chandler will undoubtedly succeed in his new role, the judiciary of Mississippi has lost an honorable, learned and highly esteemed member; and

WHEREAS, Justice Chandler was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and moved with his family to Weir just before his first year of school, and after graduating from Weir High School in 1964, he attended Mississippi State University, where he earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in education; and

WHEREAS, after completing his education at Mississippi State University, Justice Chandler pursued his passion of education, spending 20 years in the field, including ten years as a Research and Curriculum Specialist at Mississippi State University; and

WHEREAS, even though Justice Chandler was accomplished in the field of education, he transitioned from the realm of professional academia to pursue a career in law and attended law school at the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he subsequently earned his Juris Doctorate; and

WHEREAS, following his completion of the Socratic rigors that make arbiters of adolescents, barristers of boys and mediators of men, and upon successful passage and admittance to The Mississippi Bar, Justice Chandler began his storied career in the practice of law in Tupelo, and in January 2000, his law firm opened a branch office in Ackerman, which allowed him to represent the Board of Supervisors in Choctaw County and serve as municipal judge for his hometown of Weir from 1999 until 2001; and

WHEREAS, in 2000, Justice Chandler was elected as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, served from 2001 to 2008, and in May 2004, he was awarded a Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law, making history in the process as the first Mississippi Court of Appeals judge to complete this nationally acclaimed program; and

WHEREAS, Justice Chandler was re-elected to the Court of Appeals in 2006 without opposition, and after serving as a judge on the Court of Appeals for eight years, Justice Chandler was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court, where he commenced his duties as a Supreme Court Justice on January 1, 2009; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure on the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, Justice Chandler served on numerous committees, including Chairperson of the Court of Appeals Rules Committee and Co-Chairperson of the Professionalism Committee of The Mississippi Bar; and

WHEREAS, in addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Mississippi College School of Law, Justice Chandler has helped educate lawyers across the state and nation by authoring numerous professional articles in the field of education as well as in the legal field, with his most recent article addressing recent developments aimed at improving professionalism among lawyers; and

WHEREAS, the father of two children, Justice Chandler resides in Ackerman with his supportive wife, Glenda, where they are members of First United Methodist Church; and

WHEREAS, although Justice Chandler is stepping down from the bench, he will continue to serve the people, and especially the children of Mississippi in his new role as Executive Director of the Division of Family and Children's Services in furtherance of the fulfillment of the oath of office taken in his first elected public capacity; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend such outstanding public servants as that of Justice Chandler, whose equitable and impartial treatment of those who appeared before him will solidify his legacy in the history books of the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend Justice David Anthony Chandler upon his distinguished service as a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice and congratulate him upon his new appointment as Executive Director of the Division of Family and Children's Services, and extend sincere wishes for success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Mississippi Supreme Court, Justice David Anthony Chandler and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.