Kitch visits the AFL-CIO convention

Kitch took time to speak to members of the AFL-CIO down in Natchez this morning. That was a room filled with hard-working folks, and they’ve got a good track record in this state of standing up for other hard-working people.

As an aside, Kitch is not much on speaking from a script, which was a point of discussion on our trip from Crystal Springs to Natchez. That said, he comes up with some great folksy pieces off the top of his head.

He started off his speech saying he was like a cousin to Minnie Pearl, who was the old lady on the Grand Ole Opry who always wore a hat with a price tag hanging off the side.

“Do you know what was written on the other side of that price tag?” he asked a receptive crowd. “Made in the U.S.A.”

That was vintage Kitch.

Right now, we’re driving down I-55 headed to Biloxi. Kitch is scheduled to speak to the Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs this afternoon.

Feeling the love from the press

We’ve had a few early stories come from our first few stops with editorial boards.

The Newton Record wrote this piece, which is largely a Q&A.

Over at The Meridian Star, Jennifer Jacob did a good piece that highlighted our website and other online efforts.

You’ll notice in the Meridian piece that it highlights Kitch’s commitment to ethical campaign financing. He is absolutely serious about not knowing who donates money to his campaign.

When Kitch is sitting on the Supreme Court, he wants the people who appear before him to feel completely comfortable that their politics will not play a part in his ruling.

Kitch is in his element meeting people

Kitch is certainly in his element. This is our second day of travel as we visit every district in the county for the first time since he has officially announced.

Yesterday, we spent a half-day trip going east to Forest, Newton and Meridian. We stopped at newspapers in each town and then toured courthouses and city squares.

Today, we’re in the Southwest part of the district. We started in Crystal Springs, Kitch’s hometown, then headed to Hazlehurst. We’re in Fayette now, then we’re heading north to Port Gibson and then up to Vicksburg.

If Kitch could shake every hand in this district, he’d win by a landslide. He’s got personality and charm galore. More than that, there is nothing he enjoys more than getting out and shaking hands as he meets new people.

As we travel over the next several months, we’ll keep people posted about our destinations.

Our official announcement

Kitch released his official announcement today. You can find his press release here.

To kick off his announcement, he’s heading east today, with stops in Forest, Newton and Meridian.

Thursday, we’re headed to several stops in Jefferson, Claiborne and Warren counties.

Then on Friday, we’re heading to the northwest part of the district with stops in Bolivar, Washington, Sunflower and Humphreys counties.

Next week, we’ll cover the rest of the district.

Jim Kitchens: I’m running to protect the integrity of our courts (05/21/08)

Jim Kitchens, a former district attorney with 40 years practicing law, formally announced his candidacy today, saying his decision to run was rooted in the desire to uphold and protect the integrity of the courts.

“In the last several years, a disturbing trend has emerged from our courts, one where the people of Mississippi are routinely overlooked for the benefit of large corporations and out-of-state interests,” Kitchens said.

Kitchens said he fears the court is moving too close to being a politically motivated body. While he believes there are fair, impartial justices sitting on the bench, he says some seem to be ruling based on political ideology instead of on the letter of the law.

“I’ve been in situations where it was my duty to represent a client whose political and personal beliefs ran contrary to my own, but I upheld my duty as an officer of the court and provided them with the legal representation they deserved,” Kitchens said. “The same should be expected of our justices on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Their political and personal beliefs should be set to the side, and their rulings should be based on the law alone.”

Kitchens said a disturbing trend of overturned verdicts on behalf of individuals has made it far harder for the everyday citizens of Mississippi to expect reasonable access to the judicial system.

“Certainly, some jury rewards are exorbitant and some lower court rulings are in error,” Kitchens said. “But when you have a court that overwhelmingly rules on one side, case after case, then you have a court that is out of balance. You have an activist court. And we do not need activist judges in Mississippi.”

Kitchens said the people of Mississippi should trust that their judges are fair and balanced in their rulings.

Kitchens said two major issues will define the future of the Mississippi Supreme Court:

1. Electing versus appointing judges.
2. Campaign finance reform.

Kitchens said he is the only candidate who has publicly stated his support for protecting the right of voters to choose their judges. He said he adamantly disagrees with Chief Justice Jim Smith’s proposal to give the power of selecting state judges to the governor.

“It is a simple choice: We can protect the people’s right to choose the men and women who interpret their laws, or we can hand that power over to the politicians who fight and bicker and seek the solution best for themselves first, their political party second and their state somewhere a distant third.”

Kitchens said he would fight any attempts to strip the people of their right to vote for one-third of their state government.

“If we can trust the people to choose the governor, and we can trust the people to choose the Legislature, then I see no reason why we can’t trust the people to choose the judges of the Mississippi Supreme Court,” Kitchens said.

On campaign finance reform, Kitchens said he is the only candidate with a clear plan to bring about a real conversation on the matter.

“My chief opponent’s idea of reform is to take away a person’s right to vote,” Kitchens said. “My idea of reform is to bring people together — lawyers, judges, business people and everyday Mississippians — to discuss ways to tighten the laws governing how money is raised and spent in judicial elections.”

Kitchens advocates a blind trust system where judicial candidates are not aware of who gives to their campaigns. Under Mississippi law, judges cannot ask for donations, but nothing prohibits them from knowing who donates to them or to their opponents.

“When people go before a judge, they should not expect preferential treatment because they gave the judge money,” Kitchens said. “Likewise, when a person goes before a judge, they should never fear for their case because they gave money to the judge’s opponent. The courtroom is no place for political retribution.”

Kitchens said that by prohibiting judges from knowing who gives to their campaign, people can rest assured that campaign donations will not play a part in a judge’s ruling.

Background

Jim Kitchens is a lifelong resident of Cophiah County. He was elected to three terms as district attorney for Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties. He has served 40 years as an attorney in Mississippi.

Professionally, Jim Kitchens has been an active member of state and national legal associations. He has trained prosecutors throughout the state of Mississippi, most recently presenting a course on jury selection at the Mississippi Prosecutors’ Association.

Kitchens and his wife, Mary, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this summer. They have five children and five grandchildren, with a sixth grandchild expected this year.

Kitchens is a deacon, a Sunday school teacher and a nursery worker for First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs. He assists his wife with Camp Rainbow, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Association and provides opportunities for children with cancer to attend a summer camp.

Kitchens will be featured in an upcoming movie about blues legend Robert Johnson and his son, Claud. Kitchens represented Claud in his quest to be named the sole and rightful heir to the Robert Johnson estate. The movie is being written by James White, who wrote “Ray”. It is being produced by HBO.

For more biographical information and to keep up with the Kitchens for Supreme Court Justice campaign, please visit www.kitchensforjustice.com.

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Jim Kitchens says no to appointed judges (05-12-08)

Jim Kitchens, a former district attorney running for the Mississippi Supreme Court, said Monday he opposes any measure to take away the rights of Mississippians to vote for their judges.

“Under his plan, Justice Smith would take away the right of every voter in Mississippi to elect an entire branch of state government,” Kitchens said. “I don’t believe that taking away someone’s right to vote and giving that sacred power to a politician is in our state’s best interest.”

Kitchens said the idea that appointing judges would rid the judicial system of politics is absurd, pointing out that facts in recent bribery cases actually repudiate Smith’s claims.

“If you look at the recent bribery cases, it was an elected judge who did the right thing when he told the FBI someone tried to bribe him,” Kitchens said.

Kitchens said he wants the Supreme Court to study the way judicial campaigns are financed.

“We need campaign finance reform,” Kitchens said. “We should have a system where a judge does not know who gave to the campaign or who declined to give to the campaign. That way, when an attorney appears before the judge, campaign contributions will not play a part in the rulings.”

Under Mississippi law, judicial candidates are not allowed to ask for campaign donations. However, candidates are required to sign a statement certifying they have reviewed all campaign donations and that the report is accurate.

Kitchens instructed his staff not to tell him the name of anyone who donates to his campaign. To ensure accuracy in his campaign finance reports, his sister-in-law, who serves as the campaign treasurer; his daughter, who is the business manager for his law firm; and his campaign manager review all donations and certify to Kitchens that the report is correct.

“I trust my family, and I trust my campaign staff,” Kitchens said. “I don’t want to know who gives to my campaign. I don’t want anyone who comes before me to fear I’ll rule against them because they did not donate to my campaign or because they supported my opponent when I ran for office.”

Kitchens said a committee of judges, attorneys and lay people should study proposals for reforming judicial campaign finance laws. Included in consideration should be a blind trust system of campaign financing that prevents judicial candidates from seeing individual donations.

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Jim Kitchens was elected three times as a district attorney. He has practiced law for 41 years. He and his wife, Mary, have five children and five grandchildren. They live in Crystal Springs.

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For more information, contact Sam R. Hall at (601) 949-3420 or email him by clicking here..

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Limits for others, just not for Smith

When George Washington was nearing the end of his second term, he decided not to run for a third term. After throwing off the shackles of England’s monarchal rule, it made no sense to our founding father that any president serve for life — or longer than two terms, for that matter.

Too bad incumbent Chief Justice Jim Smith doesn’t have that same kind of statesman-like outlook when it comes to treating all people equally in relation to term limits.

He proposed an appointed system that would allow for a judge on the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court to serve just two terms.

Forget the fact that appointing our judges disenfranchises every voter in Mississippi when it comes to selecting an entire branch of our state government.

Instead, consider the fact that the man who would limit judges to just TWO TERMS is now seeking his THIRD TERM in office.

Happy Mother’s Day

My mother is 93-years-old, and she is still going strong. She teaches piano full-time in Crystal Springs. It was from her that I learned to play, from her that I gained my great love for music.

I wish for all mothers a happy, enjoyable day.

My heart especially goes out to three special groups of mothers: the mothers of our troops, the mothers who celebrate while their husbands are overseas and the mothers who are defending our nation while their families are at home. I sincerely pray that these families are reunited soon.

My campaign manager told me that his brother-in-law is leaving today as they prepare for a year-long tour in Washington, D.C. He will leave his wife and two children in Florence while he serves his country at home defending strategic installations in our nation’s capital. He is one of more than 100 National Guard troops from Mississippi who are leaving their families on this Mothers Day.

As we celebrate our mothers, let us also remember those families who are apart, for whatever reason. Let us keep these families in our prayers, praying that they are safely returned to each other’s embrace soon.

And to my mother, Happy Mothers Day. Thanks for everything.

Kitch out-raises Smith with small donors

Let me break this down for you in the simplest terms possible:

• Jim Kitchens is relying on a broad scope of individual donors who are giving to a man they respect.

• Jim Smith is relying on a few special interest groups and PACs who are looking out for their political concerns.

Don’t believe me? Look at the campaign finance reports that came out today.

Kitch raised $57,000 from 55 donors — all individuals.

Smith raised $40,000 from only 10 donors — eight of whom are corporations, PACs or special interest groups.

While we’re glad that we raised more money than Smith in the first two months, we’re not fooled. We can see the writing on the wall.

When 70 percent of a candidate’s donors have given the maximum amount, we know what that means. Jim Kitchens is going to face a multi-million dollar campaign filled with negative attacks from out-of-state special interest groups.

In the end, though, we feel like the people want a court that looks out for everyone’s interest, not just the interest of those with the most money.

J.B. Torrence will be missed

Former Rankin County Sheriff J.B. Torrence was a good friend of mine. We became close while I was serving as pro-temp District Attorney in Rankin County.

He was a tough, fair law enforcement officer. He will be missed.

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