Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday appointed Celeste Embrey Wilson, a circuit court judge in DeSoto County, to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the governor’s office said. Her appointment takes effect Aug. 1 and will continue until a special election, the release said.
Wilson replaces Robert Chamberlin, who left the court after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge in northern Mississippi, the release said. The release noted that Reeves has a history of appointing people with prosecutorial experience to vacant judicial seats.
“Judge Wilson has dedicated her career to serving the people of Mississippi with integrity, fairness and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law,” Reeves said in the news release. “I am deeply honored and humbled by this appointment and grateful for the confidence Governor Reeves has placed in me,” Wilson said in the release.
Wilson has served as a circuit court judge in northwestern Mississippi since February 2017. She was a DeSoto County county court judge from January 2009 through February 2017 and served as an assistant district attorney for the state’s 17th Circuit Court District for seven years, the release said. She earned an undergraduate degree from Delta State University and attended the University of Memphis School of Law, the release said.
The appointment makes Wilson the second woman to join the court alongside Justice Jenifer Branning and brings the court to eight members on the nine-member bench. Reeves has not yet appointed a replacement for Justice James Maxwell, who also became a federal judge in northern Mississippi, the release said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
