Greenwood attorney Solomon Osborne has been appointed to fill Judge Richard Smith's seat on Leflore County Court.
Gov. Ronnie Musgrove announced the appointment Monday. Smith's seat had been vacant since July 3, since he was named to replace Gray Evans on the Fourth Circuit bench.
"Solomon Osborne brings a wealth of experience and commitment for people who need access to the legal system," Musgrove said in a statement. "He has been serving the people of the Mississippi Delta for nearly 30 years, and I know he will continue that service in his new role."
Osborne said he expects to be sworn in some time this week and then will review the docket.
Osborne said a judgeship wasn't a "lifelong ambition" for him but would enable him to do some important work.
"Almost any lawyer, at some point, wouldn't mind being a judge," he said.
He said he will have a key role as county judge because he will hear Youth Court cases. Leflore County has a high juvenile crime rate, with a high number of minority juvenile offenders, and therefore he "might have a chance to have an impact on the lives of juveniles," he said.
Sheriff Ricky Banks said filling the county court seat helps his office. The Sheriff's Department hasn't been able to arrest juveniles since the seat was vacated, Banks said.
Youths are smart enough to know when they won't be punished for wrongdoing, the sheriff said.
The county judge also hears appeals from municipal and justice courts and some lawsuits involving small dollar amounts.
Osborne said he will have six months from the time of his swearing-in to close out his law practice. He is in the process of closing out cases and said it won't be hard to take care of them all by the deadline.
Some might have to be referred to someone else, he said.
Osborne graduated from Amanda Elzy High School. He earned a degree in political science from Tougaloo College and a law degree from the University of Illinois.
He began his legal career as a staff attorney for North Mississippi Rural Legal Services in 1973 and left in 1989 as a senior attorney. From 1978 to 1982, he served as executive director of Southwest Mississippi Rural Legal Services.
In 1989, he went into private practice. Since 1999, he has served as attorney for the Leflore County School Board and the Delta Correctional Facility Authority. Last year, he began working as a public defender for Leflore County Justice Court.
He is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and the National Conference of Black Lawyers.
