Bill Waller Jr.

William Lowe Waller Jr. (born February 9, 1952) is an American judge who served on the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1998 to 2019.[1][2] A member of the Republican Party, he was chief justice for his last decade in office. Waller was a candidate for the Republican nomination of Governor of Mississippi in the 2019 election,[3][4] but was defeated by Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves.[5]

Bill Waller Jr.
Chief Justice of Mississippi Supreme Court
In office
January 5, 2009 – January 31, 2019
Preceded byJames W. Smith Jr.
Succeeded byMichael K. Randolph
Justice of Mississippi Supreme Court
In office
January 1998 – January 31, 2019
Preceded byDan Lee
Succeeded byKenny Griffis
Personal details
Born
William Lowe Waller Jr.

(1952-02-09) February 9, 1952
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Charlotte Brawner
RelativesBill Waller (Father)
Carroll Overton (Mother)
EducationMississippi State University (BA)
University of Mississippi (JD)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
RankBrigadier General
UnitMississippi Army National Guard

Early years

Waller, a native and current resident of Jackson, Mississippi, is the son of William "Bill" Waller. Sr., the Governor of Mississippi from 1972 to 1976, and Carroll Waller.[6] The junior Waller graduated from Murrah High School and Mississippi State University in 1974, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1977.

Career

Waller practiced law with the firm of Waller and Waller in Jackson for over 20 years and served as a Municipal Judge for the City of Jackson. Waller was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court in November 1996, for a term beginning in January 1998. He won reelection in November 2004. He served as a Presiding Justice from January 2004 until December 2008, and assumed the position of Chief Justice in January 2009.

Waller has sought to bring reforms in the administration of justice. He supported adoption by the Supreme Court of mediation rules for civil litigation and served as chairman of the Mississippi Public Defender Task Force from 2000 to 2005. Waller was principal architect of what became legislation that created the Office of Capital Post Conviction Counsel, the Office of Indigent Appeals and the Comprehensive Electronic Court Systems Fund. Waller served as chairman of the Supreme Court Rules Committee from 2001 to 2008. In 2012, he led efforts that resulted in the passage of judicial compensation reform legislation.

In March 2018, Chief Justice Waller and Justice King dissented when the majority of the Mississippi Supreme Court found that sentencing a juvenile to life without parole did not violate Miller v. Alabama (2012).[7][8]

Waller is a member of the Stennis Institute Advisory Board at Mississippi State University. He is an Eagle Scout and serves on the Advisory Board of the Andrew Jackson Council, Boy Scouts of America. Justice Waller serves on the adjunct faculty of the Mississippi College School of Law.

2019 Gubernatorial candidacy

Waller was a candidate for Governor of Mississippi in the 2019 primary election.[4] Failing to achieve 50 percent of the vote in the primary, two candidates – Waller and lieutenant governor Tate Reeves – were forced into a runoff, where Reeves won with 54 percent.[5]

Military career

Presently assigned to the Retired Reserve, Justice Waller attained the rank of Brigadier General while serving as Commander of the 66th Troop Command, Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Mississippi.

Recognition
  • Judicial Innovation Award (2003–2004) by the Hinds County Bar Association and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association
  • Chief Justice Award (2005) for his work as chairman of a special study committee to develop a statewide e-filing and docket management system
  • Mississippi State University Pre-Law Society’s Distinguished Jurist award (2009)
  • Judicial Excellence Award (2011–2012) from the Capital Area Bar Association and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association.
  • Honorary Doctor of Laws degree (2012) from Mississippi College School of Law

Personal life

Waller and his wife, Charlotte, have three children and are members of First Baptist Church Jackson, where he has served as chairman of the deacons.

References
  1. Mississippi. Secretary of State (2001). Mississippi Official and Statistical Register. Secretary of State. ISSN 0196-4755. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  2. "Drug courts, pay raises, gubernatorial run?: Retiring MS chief justice on career, future". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  3. "Former Chief Justice Waller to enter governor's race, setting up cramped GOP primary". Mississippi Today. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  4. Associated Press (January 3, 2019). "As expected, GOP's Reeves files for Mississippi governor". Mississippi Business Journal. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  5. Ramseth, Luke; Bologna, Giacomo. "Tate Reeves wins Mississippi GOP governor runoff, advances to general against Jim Hood". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  6. "Former Miss. First Lady Carroll Waller dies at 87". Mississippi News Now. 2014-10-28. Archived from the original on 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  7. Note, Recent Case: Supreme Court of Mississippi Affirms A Sentence of Life Without Parole For A Juvenile Offender, 132 Harv. L. Rev. 1756 (2019).
  8. Chandler v. State, 242 So. 3d 65 (Miss 2018 (en banc).
Legal offices
Preceded by
Dan M. Lee		 Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court
1998–2019		 Succeeded by
Kenny Griffis
Preceded by
James W. Smith Jr.		 Chief Justice of Mississippi Supreme Court
2009–2019		 Succeeded by
Michael K. Randolph
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