Campaign launches website on Smith’s record (10/22/08)

The Committee to Elect Jim Kitchens today launched a new website that takes a hard look at Chief Justice Jim Smith’s record while on the bench.

The site — Jim Smith Uncovered — is located at:

http://www.jimsmithuncovered.com

The campaign said the site is intended to help voters get a better look at what Jim Smith has done as a judge on the Supreme Court.

“We have said from day one that this race should be about the issues, about a person’s record and not about personal attacks,” said campaign manager Sam Hall. “Jim Smith Uncovered takes a look at Smith’s record, what he’s done on the bench as a justice. We want to make sure that voters understand what he has done during his 16-year tenure.”

The website looks at:

1. Wasteful Spending. Jim Smith spent more than $23,000 to decorate his “no-frills” office. He has also received more than $175,000 in travel per diems since 2000.
2. Bad Efficiency Study. Jim Smith is taking credit for other people’s hard work by claiming a study from the Chicago School of Law ranks his court as the second most productive in the state. In fact, the study looks at the court under former Chief Justices Ed Pittman and Lenore Prather.
3. Breaking Rules. Jim Smith violated Senate rules when he filmed inside the old Supreme Court courtroom in the Capitol. Despite saying he would not use the material, he’s featuring the footage on his Website, in mail outs and on television commercials.
4. Appointing Judges. Jim Smith is backtracking on his repeated commitment to go to the Legislature and seek a change in the way our judges are selected. You can tell it’s an election year when a politician will say anything to get elected.
5. Donor Protection. Jim Smith has repeatedly refused to recuse himself from hearing cases involving his campaigns’ large financial backers.
6. Campaign Finance. Jim Smith says he wants to throw the moneychangers out of the courtroom, but the moneychangers are financing his campaign through shady special interest groups.

We encourage the press and the voters to take a long look at Jim Smith’s record and ask him the hard questions about why he’s done the things he’s done.

If you would like further comment from the Kitchens campaign, you can contact Sam Hall at (601) 949-3420 or via email to sam@kitchensforjustice.com.

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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 six grandchildren. They live in Crystal Springs. Visit his Web site at www.kitchensforjustice.com.

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Campaign responds to AG investigation of push polling (09/23/08)

JACKSON—Chief Justice Jim Smith’s campaign has found itself at the center of a controversy that is now the target of a state investigation by Attorney General Jim Hood, the Clarion-Ledger reported today.

According to the Clarion-Ledger, the attorney general’s office is investigating whether or not unethical push polls being conducted on behalf of Jim Smith are in fact illegal.

Attorney General Jim Hood told the Clarion-Ledger, “We are looking into these sleazy, bogus calls to determine if they violate our criminal and/or civil laws,” Hood said Monday. “We call on any person who has recorded one of these calls to call our office at 1-800-281-4418 or e-mail us at agjimhood.com.”

The Kitchens campaign released this statement through campaign manager Sam Hall:

“We’re glad to see that state officials are watching these elections carefully, considering all of the nasty tricks and past attempts by outside groups to circumvent campaign finance laws.”

“Jim Kitchens will run a fair campaign, talking about his qualifications, telling people how Jim Smith has hurt our courts and letting the voters decide who would be the best fit for a fair, balanced court made up of honest, honorable judges.”

To view the entire Clarion-Ledger article, click here or visit:

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/NEWS/809230369/1001/NEWS

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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