NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Four candidates who are running for a position on the Mississippi Supreme Court spoke at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday, August 1.

This particular election is for the District 1, Position 3 seat on the court. Whoever wins in November will serve an eight-year term.

The candidates said ethics, education and experience are what it takes to serve in the court.

“We don’t run on the party label. We don’t have Ds and Rs by our names on the ballot, and the judicial is supposed to be independent of all that sort of thing. I’ve tried to keep it that way during the years I’ve been on the Supreme Court and will continue doing so,” said incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens.

Judge Ceola James took an unconventional approach by beginning her speech with a prayer in French before speaking about unity.

“I promise you that if I’m elected, I would be fair as I’ve always been. My decisions have never been Democrat or Republican. My decisions have never been black or white. My decisions have been fair. And my reputation is as an extremely fair judge,” James stated.

Constitutional conservatism is what other candidates said must be established in the court system.

“This judicial race is so important because we can do all the things that we think are necessary to move Mississippi forward in the legislative and executive branches. But if we don’t elect judges that are willing to fairly and equally apply the law, then we will be backtracking,” said State Senator Jenifer Branning, who is running for the seat on the court.

Byron Carter, another candidate, is a fifth-generation Mississippian who’s experienced with handling appeals in Mississippi and Alabama.

“The Mississippi Supreme Court is our final court of appeals, so it’s very important that we have somebody that’s got a conservative leaning and that is willing to follow the law and not make the law,” said Carter.

Kitchens has served in the position since 2009.

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