James W. Kitchens
Jim Kitchens | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court | |
| In office January 5, 2009 – January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | James W. Smith Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Jenifer Branning |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 29, 1943 Crystal Springs, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Southern Mississippi (BS) University of Mississippi (JD) |
James W. Kitchens (born April 29, 1943) is an American jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi for the Central District from 2009 to 2025. He served as one of two presiding justices, from 2017 to 2025. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi School of Law, Kitchens was elected the district attorney for Mississippi's 14th Judicial District three times from 1971 to 1982, representing Copiah, Lincoln, Pike, and Walthall counties. During his tenure as district attorney, he survived an assassination attempt that resulted in wounds to his hand and leg.
Returning to private practice, Kitchens has worked on several high-profile cases, including serving as counsel in the 2000 Robert Johnson estate case and as a court-appointed attorney for Byron De La Beckwith in 1994. He won election to the Supreme Court in 2008 in an upset victory over incumbent Chief Justice James W. Smith Jr. and was re-elected in 2016. Known for his moderate judicial philosophy, Kitchens has been characterized by legal observers as a centrist jurist. His notable dissenting opinions have addressed issues of judicial authority and prosecutorial discretion.
Kitchens ran for a third term on the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2024, in which he lost in a runoff election.