OXFORD, Miss. — U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves will share his wisdom on public service and the law on Thursday (Feb. 27) at the University of Mississippi School of Law. The free event is set for 4 p.m. in Weems Auditorium.
A native of Yazoo City, Reeves serves on the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of Mississippi in Jackson. Appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama in 2010, he is the second Black judge to serve on the court, following Reagan-appointed Judge Henry Wingate.
Reeves previously was a law clerk to Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson and notably litigated school desegregation cases in Mississippi while in private practice. Ole Miss law professor Jade Craig called Reeves a leader in the federal judiciary around the issues of civil rights, civil liberties and social justice.
“His opinions have been courageous,” Craig said.
Particularly strong opinions written by Reeves include those about gun control, felons in possession of firearms, Mississippi’s same-sex marriage law and the state’s 15-week abortion ban, before the U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Most recently, Reeves weighed in on qualified immunity, a defense that protects government officials from being at fault if they do not violate a clearly established constitutional right.
Craig previously served as one of Reeves’ law clerks, which can be described as a lawyer for a judge. He helped ensure cases were orderly, prepared for trials, provided research and wrote opinions after Reeves’ decisions.
Craig felt being a clerk for Reeves influenced his practice of law.
“It made me more thorough and strategic as a lawyer,” he said. “I took away the importance of grounding the understanding of the case and the law by really researching the law before drafting a complaint.
“I learned to use that research to drive my strategy, whether it was in dealing with motions to dismiss or settlement.”
A graduate of Jackson State University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Reeves not only serves as a federal judge, but also as the first Black chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission establishes sentencing policies and practices for the federal criminal justice system to properly sentence those convicted of federal crimes. It is composed of seven voting members and two nonvoting members.
In 2020, citizens of Mississippi voted to adopt a new state flag. However, Reeves was a forerunner on the issue in 2016 when he wrote what Craig calls an “extraordinary critique of the history of the Mississippi state flag and the Confederate battle emblem in Moore v. Bryant.”
Reeves was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law in 2019, which is the highest honor given by the University of Virginia. It recognizes achievements of those who embrace endeavors that Jefferson excelled in and held in high regard such as law, leadership, architecture and innovation.
Craig said Reeves truly represents the civil rights tradition in this state.
“He has inspired me always to be bold and courageous,” Craig said.
“He used to say when I was a law clerk, ‘Lawyers are the people with the keys to the courthouse. We have a special privilege because we can help open the doors of justice to people. People count on you to help get them justice.'”