Carlton W. Reeves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlton Reeves
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Reeves in 2022
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| Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission | |
| Assumed office August 5, 2022 |
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| President | Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Charles Breyer (acting) |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office December 20, 2010 |
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| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William H. Barbour Jr. |
| Personal details | |
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Carlton Wayne Reeves
April 11, 1964 Fort Hood, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Jackson State University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
| Awards | Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal (2019) |
Carlton Wayne Reeves (born April 11, 1964) is an important federal judge in the United States. He serves as a judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. He is also the chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission. This group helps decide how punishments are given out in federal courts.
Contents
Early Life and School
Carlton Reeves was born in 1964 in Fort Hood, Texas. He grew up in a small town called Yazoo City, Mississippi. He was one of seven children in his family.
Reeves was part of the first group of students to attend public schools that were no longer separated by race in Mississippi. As a teenager, he even cleaned the office of a judge he would later replace. This judge was William H. Barbour Jr.. Reeves was the first person in his family to go to a four-year college. He graduated with high honors from Jackson State University in 1986.
After college, he went to the University of Virginia School of Law. He finished law school in 1989. Then, he worked for Justice Reuben V. Anderson. Justice Anderson was the first African American judge on the highest court in Mississippi.
Career as a Lawyer
Reeves started his legal career in 1991. He worked for the Mississippi Supreme Court. Later that year, he joined a private law firm in Jackson, Mississippi.
From 1995 to 2001, Reeves worked for the United States Attorney's office. He was in charge of the Civil Division for the Southern District of Mississippi. In 2001, he started his own law firm called Pigott Reeves Johnson. While working in private practice, he also helped many community groups.
Becoming a Federal Judge
On April 28, 2010, President Barack Obama chose Carlton Reeves to become a federal judge. He would take the place of Judge William H. Barbour Jr. The United States Senate approved his nomination on December 19, 2010. He officially became a judge on December 20, 2010. Judge Reeves is the second African American to serve as a federal judge in Mississippi.
Important Decisions by Judge Reeves
Judge Reeves has made several important decisions during his time on the bench. These decisions often deal with fairness and equal rights for everyone.
Fairness in Marriage Rights
In 2014, Judge Reeves made a big decision in a case called Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant. He ruled that Mississippi's ban on certain marriages was against the U.S. Constitution. He said that the state's old ideas had taken away basic rights from some citizens. He believed it was time to give those rights back.
Speaking Out Against Hate
In 2015, Judge Reeves sentenced three young men in a case called United States v. Butler. They were involved in the death of a Black man named James Craig Anderson. In his speech, Judge Reeves talked about Mississippi's difficult past with racism. He said that the fair way the justice system worked now showed how the state was moving past its racist history.
Protecting Equal Dignity
In 2016, Judge Reeves stopped a Mississippi law from going into effect. This law was called the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act. It would have allowed people to refuse services to others based on their beliefs. Judge Reeves said this law did not respect the equal dignity of all people in Mississippi. He said religious freedom is important, but it should not take away rights from others. However, a higher court later reversed his ruling, saying the people who sued did not have the right to bring the case.
Mississippi State Flag Case
In 2016, Judge Reeves dismissed a lawsuit about the Mississippi state flag in the case Moore v. Bryant. The lawsuit wanted the flag, which included symbols from the Confederacy, to be declared unconstitutional. Judge Reeves dismissed the case because the people who sued could not show they had been directly harmed by the flag.
Questioning "Qualified Immunity"
In 2020, in a case called Jamison v. McClendon, Judge Reeves wrote an opinion about a rule called "qualified immunity." This rule often protects police officers from being sued for their actions. Judge Reeves said that while he had to follow earlier court decisions, this rule often stops officers from being held responsible for wrongdoing. He argued that this rule should be changed.
Protecting Children's Health
In 2023, in the case J.W. v. City of Jackson, Judge Reeves ruled that the City of Jackson had violated the rights of over 1,000 children. The city had misled them into drinking water that had lead in it. Judge Reeves criticized how difficult it is to hold government officials accountable for dangers they create.
Second Amendment and Old Laws
In 2023, in United States of America v. Bullock, Judge Reeves questioned a law that stops people with past convictions from owning guns. His opinion discussed how courts interpret gun rights today and how old laws apply to modern times.
More on Qualified Immunity
In another case, Green v. Thomas, Judge Reeves again criticized the rule of "qualified immunity." He said it makes it harder to hold police detectives accountable for their actions.
Leading the Sentencing Commission
On May 11, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that he wanted Judge Reeves to join the United States Sentencing Commission. This group helps set the rules for how federal crimes are punished. The Senate approved his nomination on August 4, 2022. He now serves as the chairman of this important commission.
See also
