The University of Mississippi School of Law will honor Reuben Anderson at this year’s graduation ceremony. Anderson was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1967.
“The law school is proud to honor one of our most outstanding and well-known graduates, Reuben Anderson, on the 50th anniversary of his graduation and to thank him for fifty years of leadership and service,” said Debbie Bell, interim dean of the law school. “In addition to an illustrious private practice, he served as a judge in four courts, including the Mississippi Supreme Court. He has been President of the Mississippi Bar and in 1995 held the Jamie L. Whitten Chair of Law and Government here at the law school.”
Anderson is a Senior Partner at Phelps Dunbar in Jackson. He was the first African American judge on the Mississippi Supreme Court.
“It’s a great honor and a thrill to be back at the law school and to be honored by the law school,” said Anderson. “I’m grateful for the great education I received and thankful it prepared me for a great career.”
Delivering the commencement address for the Law School Graduation is Judge Carlton Reeves, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Reeves clerked on the Mississippi Supreme Court for Anderson after graduating from law school.
“I am so honored to participate in this very special commencement ceremony, which not only celebrates the successes of the graduates, but also recognizes Justice Anderson, who laid the ground work and opened the door for me and so many others. But for him, I would not be a federal judge,” said Reeves.
Reeves, a native of Yazoo City, received his bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University and is a 1989 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2010, Reeves was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
The Law School’s graduation will be held Saturday, May 13 at 11 a.m. in the Grove. It will immediately follow the university commencement at 9 a.m. For more information on graduation, visit http://oldlawschool.devclients.com/current-students/student-affairs/commencement/.