Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
10:05 am Saturday, April 27, 2002

Supreme Court committee wants contact between judges, media

By By Suzanne Monk / managing editor
April 27, 2002
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves says he thinks the media can help educate people about how courts work and increase their trust in the judicial system.
Graves spoke Friday at a lunch meeting of the Lauderdale County Bar Association.
Graves said journalists and judges need to understand each other's pressures and limitations.
People would rather get their information straight from a judge, Graves said, but judges are not allowed to discuss the specifics of the cases before them. Meanwhile, he said, reporters still have to file their stories and lack of information or understanding can result in inaccurate reporting.
Graves said finding ways to bridge this gap is a primary goal behind a series of meetings Supreme Court justices and lower court judges are holding with newspaper, television and radio representatives all over the state.
The first meeting of the "Courts and the Media" committee was held in Jackson, and Meridian will be included later in the tour.
Other media issues
Graves is chairman of the Courts and the Media Committee. He said it is widely referred to as the Cameras in the Courtroom Committee, but that description covers only a small part of the discussion.
Mississippi is in a minority of states that do not allow cameras in courtrooms in some form.
He is not, however, opposed. In fact, he said knowing cameras are recording trials might "make everyone a little better."
Graves did say judges would have to be granted a lot of discretion to preserve the traditional convention of jury anonymity and, in some cases, witness anonymity. Chancery Courts, which handle divorce and child custody disputes, could need special attention.
He dismisses the idea that cameras would turn courtrooms into "circuses" and encourage lawyers to "perform."
Electronic courtrooms
Graves also serves on a Supreme Court committee looking into electronic courtrooms and ways to file motions, briefs and rulings over the Internet.
Among the advantages of such a system are: 1) less time hand-delivering court papers, mailing copies to interested parties and posting filings into computer data bases; and 2) elimination of storage problems caused by bulky paper documents.
As a circuit judge in Hinds County, Graves was the first person in Mississippi to launch an electronic courtroom, and he said overcoming compatibility problems among different word processing programs is key to expanding on the idea.
Graves' reputation for computer savvy takes him by surprise.
The Mississippi Supreme Court has been outfitted with new computers, and is donating its old ones to schools. Interested teachers can call (601) 354-7452 for more information.

Also on Franklin County Times
Thorpe to play at Blue Mountain Christian
High School Sports, News, Russellville, ...
Brannon King For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE – Brennon Thorpe made his plans official to attend Blue Mountain Christian University and play baseball for the Toppers during a recent s...
Russellville High Class of 1967 gathers, reminisces
Columnists, News, Opinion, ...
HERE AND NOW
July 16, 2025
You can’t really go back to the good old days of high school, but you can pay them a visit now and then. That’s exactly what the RHS Class of 1967 has...
Former Cypress Lakes official to lead Guntersville State Park
Lifestyles, News
Bernie Delinski For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
GUNTERSVILLE — Heath Puckett had an Auburn University degree and golf course superintendent certification in his pocket when he arrived at Cypress Lak...
European travel builds bonds across cultures
Lifestyles, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE -- A group of Franklin County travelers spent nine days this summer walking through catacombs, exploring castles and standing in places w...
Little Free Library welcomes readers in East Franklin
Lifestyles, News, Phil Campbell
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Eleven-year-old Aiden Hall is an avid reader, but he doesn’t just want to read books. He also wants to share them, and the way he deci...
King becomes elementary curriculum director
Lifestyles, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
RUSSELVILLE — Molly King says every child can learn, though not necessarily in the same way or on the same day — a belief she plans to carry into her ...
New Junior Leaders begin their training
Franklin County, News
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
July 16, 2025
FRANKLIN COUNTY — Forty-two high school students from across Franklin County are beginning 10 months of hands-on leadership training and community ser...
Fire destroys 2-story garage, guest suite
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
July 16, 2025
R U S S E L LV I L L E – Jason Gist leaned against the wall of his home with a look of disgust while dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish a fir...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Stories
July 4, 2025Augusto Simon Diaz, 42, of Russellville, passed away July 4. Visitation and funeral were held at Spry Memorial Chapel on July 12 from 2pm ...
July 16, 2025
July 8, 2025Jamie Kerby Cummings, 41, of Russellville, passed away on July 8. Visitation took place July 13, at Spry Memorial Chapel from 1 pm to 3pm....
July 16, 2025
July 11,2025Julie “JuJu” Welch Black, 63, of Russellville, passed away on July 11.Graveside service was held at 1pm on July 13, at Belgreen Cemetery w...
July 16, 2025
July 9, 2025Scott Noel Benford, age 58, of Muscle Shoals, passed away on July 9. Visitation was held at Pinkard Funeral Home in Russellville on July 1...
July 16, 2025