House Concurrent Resolution 104

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE BETTY W. SANDERS AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON THE MOST AUSPICIOUS OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AS SENIOR CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE OF THE FOURTH CIRCUIT COURT DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, Honorable Betty W. Sanders, Senior Circuit Court Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court District of Mississippi, Post 3, retired from the bench after more than 29 years of judicial service to the great State of Mississippi and its citizens; and

WHEREAS, law, it could be said, is a second career for Judge Betty W. Sanders, who was promoted to acting department head at Mississippi Valley State University prior to entering law school at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) School of Law, where she matriculated from 1976-1979 familiarizing herself with the American system of jurisprudence and the study of becoming a zealous advocate for her clients, an impartial arbiter and a judicious judge; and

WHEREAS, Judge Sanders' career in the legal arena can be described as one of many firsts, as she is the first African American to be elected Circuit Court Judge, Post 3 in Mississippi's Fourth Judicial District, in addition to being the first Circuit Court Magistrate Judge in the State of Mississippi and the first African-American attorney to serve as co-attorney of the Greenwood Public School District; and

WHEREAS, motivated to perform public service, Judge Sanders, whose educational curriculum vitae includes a bachelor of science degree in business education from Alcorn State University, a master of education degree in business education from Bowling Green State University, several hours completed at Southern Illinois University towards a specialist degree in business and a juris doctorate from Ole Miss School of Law, accepted a position with Legal Services and continued the battle for social justice as she and her husband and attorney, Alix H. Sanders, who is also the first African American elected to the office of supervisor of Leflore County, built a successful law practice; and

WHEREAS, having served on the bench since 1989, after having previously acted as a magistrate during the four years immediately prior, and in 2001, she became Senior Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court District, Post 3, comprised of Leflore, Sunflower and Washington Counties, being subsequently re-elected on November 2, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Judge Sanders began her professional career in 1966 as an instructor of business education and office administration at Coahoma Junior College in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and simultaneously at Washington Technical Institute and Federal City College in Washington, D.C., before transitioning to Mississippi Valley State University as interim department head for the Department of Business Education and Office Administration, the capacity in which she was serving when her intrigue for an enhanced knowledge of the law peaked, and she enrolled at the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1976; and

WHEREAS, after completing the requisite training to obtain her law degree and license to practice via her admittance to The Mississippi Bar, Judge Sanders was employed as a staff attorney for the Greenwood Branch Office of the North Mississippi Rural Legal Services under the supervision of her former neighbor, the Honorable Willie J. Perkins, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, Judge Sanders developed a training packet and legal service manual while serving as consultant for the clerical training programs for both the North Mississippi Rural Legal Services and the Southwest Mississippi Legal Services, and entered into the private practice of Sanders and Sanders, P.A., with her husband in 1981, and served as Magistrate for the Fourth Circuit Court District and Drug Court Judge before her selection as Senior Judge for the Fourth Circuit Court District; and

WHEREAS, a 2006 Mississippi Bar Foundation Fellow, member of the State Drug Court Advisory Committee, former Chair and past Treasurer of the Conference of Circuit Judges, Judge Sanders' professional memberships, associations and affiliations include, but are not exhaustive of, the following: American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Mississippi Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, Magnolia Bar Association, Leflore County Bar Association, Volunteer Lawyers Project Board of Directors, Supreme Court Complaint Tribunal, Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, Magnolia Bar Association Judicial Council,

Trial Court Liaison Committee, Life Help Advisory Council, NAWJ Racial and Cultural Diversity Committee, National Conference of State Trial Judges, Sentencing & Corrections Committee, Legislative Committee of the Circuit Court Conference, the Consortium of Doctors, LTD, Delivery of Legal Services Committee, NAACP, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Governmental Affairs and Education Committees of the Leflore County Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, having held various positions within the associations with which she is affiliated, Judge Sanders was elected to the Commission for Judicial Performance, appointed to the Supreme Court Complaint Tribunal and Ethics Committee of the Mississippi Bar Association, and designated a faculty facilitator at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada; and

WHEREAS, a jurist who values the service and enrichment of volunteerism, earned the PRO BONO PUBLICO award for having donated countless pro bono service hours over a twenty-year period, in addition to having been awarded or recognized with the following honors: 2005 Citizen of the Year by Omega Psi Phi Community Service, Greenwood Voters League's Drug Court Outstanding Service, 2004 Drum Major for Justice Award presented by Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Presidential Citation for Mississippi Valley State University Support, Magnolia Bar Association Government Service Awards in 1997 and 2003, Althea T.L. Simmons Social Action Award presented at the 1996 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Convention, Community Service Awards presented by regional and local chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Distinguished Alumni Award, and Who's Who Among Outstanding Americans, to name a few; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to honor such notable public servants as Judge Sanders, whose career as a shrewd barrister and purveyor of the truth has birthed a reputable and esteemed rapport with those whom she has counseled and adjudicated, and serve as a testament of her faith being translated to a work of success:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the exceptional service and distinguished career of the Honorable Judge Betty W. Sanders, congratulate her upon the most auspicious occasion of her retirement as Senior Circuit Court Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court District of Mississippi, and extend best wishes for continued success and happiness in all of her future endeavors as she enjoys the lighter years of life.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Judge Betty W. Sanders and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.