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James Graves Jr.
JusticeGravesPhoto.jpg
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Assumed office
February 15, 2011
Appointed by Barack Obama
Preceded by Rhesa Barksdale
Associate Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court
In office
November 1, 2001 – February 15, 2011
Preceded by Fred L. Banks Jr.
Succeeded by Leslie D. King
Personal details
Born
James Earl Graves Jr.

(1953-11-19) November 19, 1953 (age 71)
Clinton, Mississippi, U.S.
Education Millsaps College (BA)
Syracuse University (JD, MPA)

James Earl Graves Jr. (born in 1953) is an American lawyer and judge. He currently serves as a United States circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. This is a very important job where he helps decide big legal cases.

Early Life and Education

James Graves Jr. grew up in Clinton, Mississippi. His father was a Baptist minister. He went to Sumner High School in Clinton. He was the best student in his class, graduating as valedictorian. This means he had the highest grades and test scores.

After high school, he went to Millsaps College. In 1975, he earned a degree in Sociology. He then worked for a while before going to Syracuse University College of Law. He earned his law degree there in 1980. He also got another degree in Public Administration in 1981. He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Legal and Teaching Career

Mr. Graves started his law career helping people who needed legal help but couldn't afford it. He worked at Central Mississippi Legal Services in 1980. Later, he worked as a private lawyer for three years.

He then returned to public service. He worked for the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. He also helped with child support enforcement for the state. Since 1998, he has taught at the Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law School. He has also been a professor at other colleges like Millsaps College and Jackson State University. He taught classes on media law and civil rights. He even coached high school and college teams for mock trials. His Jackson Murrah High School team won the state championship in 2001.

Judicial Career

Serving as a Mississippi State Judge

In 1991, Governor Ray Mabus chose James Graves to be a circuit court judge in Hinds County, Mississippi. A circuit court judge hears many different types of cases. Later that year, he was elected to the position. He won with a large majority of the votes. He was re-elected two more times without anyone running against him.

In 2001, Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed him to the Mississippi Supreme Court. This is the highest court in Mississippi. He won election to the court in 2004. At that time, he was the only African-American justice on the court. Before him, two other African-American judges, Reuben V. Anderson and Fred L. Banks Jr., had served on the court.

Serving as a Federal Judge

On June 10, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated James Graves to be a United States circuit judge. This is a judge who serves on a federal appeals court. He would join the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. This court hears appeals from federal courts in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

The Senate approved his nomination in February 2011. This made him the third African-American judge to serve on the Fifth Circuit. He officially started his new role on February 15, 2011.

Important Decisions

  • Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. v. Texas Dep't of Hous. & Cmty. Affs. (2014): Judge Graves wrote a decision about housing discrimination. The case was about whether Texas was giving housing help in a way that created segregated neighborhoods. This means some neighborhoods had mostly one group of people. Judge Graves's decision helped set clear rules for how courts should handle cases where housing policies might unfairly affect certain groups, even if it's not on purpose. The Supreme Court later agreed with his approach.
  • Harness v. Watson (2022): Judge Graves disagreed with a ruling that kept an old Mississippi law. This law, from 1890, stopped many people who had committed certain crimes from voting. Judge Graves said the law had a history of being unfair to Black Mississippians. He wrote that the law was made to keep certain groups from having equal rights. He believed the court should have changed this unfair law.

Honors and Awards

James Graves Jr. has received many awards for his work:

  • National Conference of Black Lawyers Judge of the Year Award - 1992
  • National Bar Association Distinguished Jurist Award - 1996
  • Hinds County Bar Association Innovation Award - 2000
  • Jackson Public School District Parent of the Year Award - 2001
  • State of Mississippi Parent of the Year Award, First Alternate - 2001
  • United States Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner's Award - 2001
  • Mississippi Association of Educators Humanized Education Award - 2002
  • Mississippi Bar Foundation, Law-Related Public Education Award - 2002
    • For helping people understand the law better
  • Millsaps College Livesay Award - 2004
  • NAACP Mississippi Chapter Legal Award - 2004
  • Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Public Administration Award - 2009
  • FBI Director's Community Leadership Award - 2011
    • For his great work and leadership in communities
  • Member of the American Law Institute - 2015

Personal Life

James Graves Jr. is married and has three children.

See also

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