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Kenneth Griffis sworn in as Supreme Court Justice Feb. 1
February 1, 2019
Justice T. Kenneth Griffis Jr. of Ridgeland took the oath of office Feb. 1 as the newest member of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Michael K. Randolph, himself newly sworn in as the leader of the Mississippi Judiciary, gave Justice Griffis the oath of office.
Justice Griffis’ wife Mary Helen Griffis held the Bible while four of their five sons stood by.
Justice Griffis told the large crowd of public officials and friends that he had expected the gathering to be a small one. “I want to thank you each for being here. Every one of you is very special to me,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed by the fact that you took time from your day to come and share this with me.”
Justice Griffis said, “The opportunity to serve on the Supreme Court is one that I appreciate and I thank you for, and I thank the Governor for the opportunity.”
Justice Griffis became Chief Judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals on Jan. 2. However, a few days after his selection was announced in November, Gov. Phil Bryant named him to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. Justice Griffis took the Central District judgeship previously held by Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr., who retired Jan. 31.
Justice Griffis was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2002, and took office in January 2003. He became a Presiding Judge on March 3, 2011.
He is a native of Meridian. He earned accounting and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. He attended Meridian Community College and Mississippi State University – Meridian Branch. He was a Certified Public Accountant from 1984 through 2007.
Justice Griffis is admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Courts of the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, and all Mississippi state courts. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar, the Magnolia Bar Association, the Madison County Bar Association, the Capital Area Bar Association, and the Rankin County Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
He previously served as a member of the Mississippi Supreme Court’s Rules Advisory Committee and as chair of the Bench Bar Committee of the Mississippi Bar. He also served on the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education and the Committee on Electronic Filing and Case Management Systems. He was an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law, Belhaven University, the University of Mississippi School of Law, and Meridian Community College.
A photo is attached for your consideration. Caption, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice T. Kenneth Griffis, at left, takes the oath of office Feb. 1. Chief Justice Michael K. Randolph, at right, administers the oath while Justice Griffis’ wife, Mary Helen Griffis, holds the Bible.
