JACKSON - Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves was headed into a runoff with Rankin County Circuit Judge Samac Richardson for the court seat the incumbent has held for three years.
Incomplete returns show Graves has 48 percent of the vote. He needed 50 percent plus one vote to win outright. Richardson had 31 percent of the vote.
The runoff will be in two weeks.
Three other sitting judges, who were backed by pro-business interests, easily won another term on the court.
Justice George C. Carlson defeated Columbus attorney William L. Bambach in the Northern District, while Justice William L. Waller Jr. held off a challenge from Byram attorney "Richard" Ray Grindstaff in a Central District Post.
Justice Mike Randolph, who was appointed to the court in April by Gov. Haley Barbour, defeated his challenger, Appeals Court Judge Joe Lee, for a southern district post.
Carlson, Waller and Randolph all received more than 60 percent of the votes in incomplete returns.
The downticket Supreme Court races have become big-money campaigns as the battle over civil justice changes "has literally moved to the courts. …both sides are looking for judges who will tip the balance in their favor," said Marty Wiseman, director of the John C. Stennis Institute for Government at Mississippi State University.
The judicial races in Mississippi are nonpartisan, but the state Republican Party endorsed candidates in some races.
Waller, Carlson and Randolph said they'll continue reviewing possible court rule changes, especially those related to civil justice cases.
Pro-business groups would like to see the state's litigious climate relaxed.
Barbour and others say the state's newly enacted civil justice changes, which limit awards in civil lawsuits, would help rid Mississippi of its reputation as a haven for lawsuit abuse.
"I think that this is a mandate for the current administration to continue with the reforms that we have had such great success with during the past few years," said Waller, who has been on the court since 1998.
Randolph said the court's changes have been productive.
"The court is constantly evaluating and will be in the future rules that affect litigation," Randolph said.
Carlson, who was appointed to the court in 2001 by then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, said he wanted to ensure timely decisions.
"I'm a member of the Rules Committee and we need to continue to look at what rules changes might need to be made for things such as judge shopping and lawyer advertising," Carlson said.
Wiseman said should Graves secure a victory or survive a runoff, it would reinforce the power of incumbency.
"It seems that folks probably went with familiarity as far as the courts are concerned," Wiseman said.
Most of Graves' campaign funds were generated by attorneys. Richardson had the support of lawyers and pro-business groups.
More than $2.4 million had been raised in all four races.
Most of the candidates defended their acceptance of contributions, saying running for office was expensive.
A political action committee's influence in the race drew criticism from Secretary of State Eric Clark and Common Cause, an open government advocacy group.
The Improve Mississippi PAC spent more than $325,000, including purchases for advertisements supporting Richardson and Randolph.
The PAC also made contributions to the Carlson's and Waller's campaign.
The American Tort Reform Association made a $300,000 contribution to the PAC. Under state laws, the association does not have to report its funding source.
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