Court of Appeals Judge Donna Barnes Announces Bid for Re-Election

Court of Appeals Judge Donna Barnes announced today that she is a candidate for reelection to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District One, which comprises 23 counties primarily in North Mississippi.

“I was honored to be appointed to a vacancy on the Court of Appeals by Governor Haley Barbour in 2004 and proud to be elected unopposed by the people of my district in 2006,” Judge Barnes said. “Prior to my service on the court, I worked as an attorney for over 18 years. That legal experience, which centered substantially on the appellate process, and my subsequent judicial work confirm what I have always believed—that the proper focus of the Court of Appeals is assuring that the justice system works for all the people of Mississippi.”

“My work as an appeals court judge has been the most challenging yet rewarding of my legal career,” Barnes said. “I am acutely aware that each case which comes before the Court may well be the most important matter in the lives of the litigants, whether it concerns the custody of their children, the protection of their assets, their restoration to wholeness after injury, or their very freedom.”

Barnes concluded, “The function of the Court of Appeals is not to make the law, but to assure that the law has been properly interpreted and applied in the trial court. My credentials as a practicing attorney, coupled with my firsthand experience as a judge, have given me the unique perspective and ability to handle complex cases with fairness and equity. As long as I serve on the bench, I will continue to apply the law fairly and equally to protect the rights of all litigants, so that Mississippi is a place where justice prevails.”

Prior to becoming a member of the Court of Appeals, Judge Barnes practiced law in Tupelo with Mitchell, McNutt and Sams, concentrating in appellate practice, real estate, health care, employment discrimination, civil rights and civil liberties litigation, and professional liability defense.

During her tenure on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Judge Barnes has authored over 300 majority opinions. She is an inaugural member of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission, where she chairs its subcommittee on pro se litigation. She is a fellow and a trustee of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, a member of The University of Mississippi Lamar Order, a barrister in the Charles Clark Inn of Court, a member of the Criminal Code Revision Consulting Group, and a former member of the Judicial Advisory Study Committee and the Gender Fairness Advisory Study Committee.

Born in Natchez, Judge Barnes has lived in north Mississippi for over 30 years. She received a BA degree from The University of Mississippi, summa cum laude, in 1982 and her JD from The University of Mississippi School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1985 and served on the editorial board of the Mississippi Law Journal. Judge Barnes qualified to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts in Mississippi, and all Mississippi state courts.

Judge Barnes also earned her Master of Law from the University of Cambridge in 1997 where she was one of three American students in the program that only admitted 152 attorneys from 48 countries. Her studies included international commercial litigation, comparative public law, international human rights, and law and practice of civil liberties.

Judge Barnes is a member of the Mississippi Bar and the Lee County Bar Association. She served as president of both the Lee County Bar Association and the Lee County Young Lawyers Association. She is a graduate of Leadership Lee County, a member of the Tupelo Main Street Association “E-Club,” and a communicant of All Saints Episcopal Church in Tupelo.

The Court of Appeals District One includes the following counties: Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Desoto, Grenada (split w/District 2), Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery (split w/ District 2), Panola (split w/District 2), Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tallahatchie (split w/District 2), Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Yalobusha

 

  

 

     
 

 

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