Mississippi Supreme Court Gets Its First Black Judge

Circuit Court Judge Reuben V. Anderson was picked today to fill a vacancy on the Mississippi Supreme Court and will become the first black ever to sit on the court.

Anderson, 42, will replace Justice Francis S. Bowling, who announced his retirement last month.

“I look forward to the challenge,” Anderson said of the appointment by Gov. Bill Allain. “I never thought about it (being a Supreme Court justice) back when I was practicing law. I never envisioned it.”

Anderson said his selection demonstrates how far Mississippi has come in the last two decades.

“When I first started practicing law, I had to take my diploma with me wherever I went,” he said. “Judges would not allow black lawyers to practice in a lot of courts in this state.”

Anderson will serve as an appointed justice until the next statewide election--in the fall of 1986--when he can run for the remainder of Bowling’s term, which ends in January, 1989.

Anderson has been a circuit judge since 1982, serving the 7th District, which includes Hinds and Yazoo counties.

He received his bachelor of arts degree from Tougaloo College and his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1967.

He practiced law in Jackson until his appointment to the circuit court. In that year, he also was elected to serve a full term as circuit judge.