NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors today appointed former district attorney Shameca Collins as Adams County Justice Court judge to replace Audrey Minor, who resigned last month citing health problems.
Supervisors were divided 3-2 in selecting Collins, who lost her reelection bid last year for a second term as DA to Tim Cotton.
Collins is to serve until a special election is held November 2025, when north Adams County voters will select someone to serve the remaining two years left in the judicial term.
Adams County’s other Justice Court judge – Danny Barber – is White and was elected in 2023 by voters from Adams County’s southern court district.
Adams County board President Kevin Wilson opposed Collins’ appointment as judge. He was a vocal critic of her when she served as chief criminal prosecutor for the 6th Circuit Court District that covers Adams, Franklin, Wilkinson and Amite counties. Wilson, who’s noted being Black should not be a prerequisite to be judge, said other candidates should be considered for the Justice Court seat.
The board’s 3-2 vote today to appoint Collins was along racial lines. Joining Gray in supporting Collins were the board’s two other Black supervisors: Angela Hutchins and Warren Gaines. The board’s two White supervisors voted no: Wilson and Wes Middleton.
Justice Court judges – who are not required to have law degrees – have jurisdiction over civil cases involving amounts of $3,500 or less, misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic offenses that occur outside a municipality. They also conduct bond hearings and preliminary hearings in felony criminal cases, and they can issue search warrants.
Minor was first elected Justice Court judge in 2019 and again in 2023. She resigned in September amid published reports she was being sued by a court clerk and was the subject of a complaint filed with the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance.
In a letter submitted to the Adams County Board of Supervisors, Minor said she resigned for health reasons.
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