Michael Randolph | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of theMississippi Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 31, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Waller Jr. |
| Justice of theMississippi Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office April 23, 2004 | |
| Appointed by | Haley Barbour |
| Preceded by | Edwin L. Pittman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-12-04)December 4, 1946 (age 79) Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathy Webb |
| Education | Rollins College (BA) University of Mississippi, Oxford (JD) |
Michael K. Randolph (born December 4, 1946) is the chief justice of theSupreme Court of Mississippi, serving in the position since 2019. Before that, he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2004. He represents District 2 Place 3.
Born in 1946, Randolph is a native ofDayton, Ohio.[1][2] He is the son of a construction worker who had a third-grade education.[3]
He served as anair traffic controller during theVietnam War with theU.S. Army1st Infantry Division and washonorably discharged in 1967.[2]
He attendedOhio State University before graduating fromRollins College with abachelor of science in business administration in 1972; two years later, he earned aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Mississippi School of Law.[2][4] While in law school, he joined theU.S. Naval Reserve, graduated from theNaval Justice School, and serving as an attorney with theJudge Advocate General Corps. He was honorably discharged in 1975.[2]
From 1975 until 2004, Randolph practiced law inBiloxi, Mississippi andHattiesburg, Mississippi, working for several firms before starting his own practice with two others.[2]
On April 23, 2004, Gov.Haley Barbour appointed Randolph to theMississippi Supreme Court to serve the unexpired term of former Chief JusticeEdwin L. Pittman.[5] In November 2004, Randolph was elected to the Supreme Court for an eight-year term that began January 1, 2005. He was reelected in 2012 and 2020.[2] He became a Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court on January 1, 2013. He became Chief Justice on February 1, 2019.[2]
PresidentRonald Reagan appointed Randolph to serve on the National Coal Council. Randolph has also served on the board of directors forWilliam Carey College, and was past president of the South Central Mississippi Bar Association.[2] He is the former chairman of the Forrest County Republican Executive Committee.[4]
Randolph was rumored as a potential Republican candidate in the2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election.[6]
Randolph is married to Kathy Webb Randolph. He has three children and five grandchildren. He is a member of Temple Baptist Church.[2]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Justice of theMississippi Supreme Court 2004–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice ofMississippi Supreme Court 2019–present | |
Statewide political officials ofMississippi | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| Senate |
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| House |
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| Supreme Court |
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| Supreme Judges of Mississippi(1818–1832) |  | |
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| High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi(1832-1870) | ||
| Supreme Court of Mississippi(since 1870) | ||