NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen have appointed Natchez attorney Terrence Hunter to be interim municipal judge when incumbent Christina Daugherty leaves office April 30 to become an assistant district attorney.
Hunter will be city judge while Natchez prepares for a special election expected this summer for voters to pick someone to serve the remaining three years of the term.
Hunter was appointed Tuesday by aldermen after they also considered two other lawyers applying for the job: Tim Blalock and Pierce Beach.
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson praised the aldermen’s selection and described Hunter as someone who will be a “fair” and “compassionate” but “strong” judge.
The municipal court’s jurisdiction includes minor criminal offenses, such as shoplifting and disorderly conduct, and unkempt properties deemed by the city as public nuisances.
As he presides over such court cases, Hunter will “help us make Natchez a safer place and a more beautiful place,” Gibson said. “We have a lot of dilapidated-property issues, and it will be good to have a judge who will help us in that regard.”
Hunter – a Natchez native – began practicing law in 2021. He’s a solo practitioner. He’s the least experienced of the three candidates considered by aldermen to be judge. Blalock has been an attorney in private practice since 2006. Beach began his law career in 2013. He’s a law clerk for the Natchez-based 6th Circuit Court District.
Daugherty is resigning as city judge less than a year after she was elected in June 2024 without opposition. She was previously appointed to the post by aldermen and took office in January 2024 to replace Lisa Jordan Dale, who also resigned the city judgeship to become an assistant district attorney in the 6th Circuit Court District.
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