The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear a petition that may remove the city judge for Clarksdale and Grenada from the bench.
The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance sent a 13 page document containing six factors and a timeline of infractions to the Mississippi Supreme Court on Tuesday regarding the conduct and actions of Judge Carlos Moore.
In a story that broke in the Clarksdale Press Register last week the city announced it had been informed that Moore intended to resign as of Monday, Feb. 12.
When contacted last week, Moore said in an Email that he recently married and was moving to Atlanta. Moore said in an Email from his spokesman Jay Mathis this week that Moore planned to remain headquartered in Grenada and is in the process of expanding his firm with the next location to be Atlanta.
Moore was listed at the Municipal Judge of Grenada this week, a post he has held since 2020.
The Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners appoints Municipal Court Judges and Moore was appointed shortly after the election of Mayor Chuck Espy in 2018, when Clarksdale residents Judge Joe Gibbs and Judge Don Dee were replaced with out-of-town judges Moore and Derrick Hopson.
Moore was named Judge Pro Tempore and may be best known for his and Espy’s “Second Chance” initiative that allowed defendants brought before his court to write a book report and promise to make better grades in school rather than receive a fine or detention.
If Mississippi Supreme Court Justices follow the Commission’s request, Moore will be removed from the bench, a public reprimand will be issued, suspended for six years from taking another judicial position and see up to a $5,000 fine imposed.
Moore was disciplined with a suspension, fine and public reprimand by the Mississippi Supreme Court in February 2023.
The incident that brought the reprimand occurred Dec. 8, 2020, according to the Supreme Court decision issued Thursday, Feb. 16 and posted to the Clarksdale Press Register website. It states that Judge Moore, who also practices law with The Cochran Firm, “criticized” Grenada Police Department Chief George Douglas and Det. Sgt. Chris Brown “publicly” during open court concerning a discussion about a private client of Moore’s that occurred four days earlier at his private law office, located on Branscome Drive in Grenada.
The private client of Judge Moore’s was a victim of a shooting at the Satan’s Sidekick Clubhouse in Grenada in November 2020, according to the Mississippi Commission of Judicial Performance, which filed the formal complaint against Judge Moore. The complaint was filed “alleging that he improperly summoned two local police officers to the municipal courtroom in Grenada and criticized them publicly.”
Moore was suspended for 60-day, fined $1,500 and reprimanded publically in Coahoma County Circuit Court.
Tuesday’s filings listed a timeline of infractions against Moore:
• December 2019: Moore was sent a formal letter from commission regarding information posted on social media on cases to be heard in his court.
• December 2020: Moore signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the commission as a result of continued social media violations and he admitted his actions violated Code of Judicial Conduct
• November 2021: Moore posted comments about Kyle Rittenhouse on social media that were deemed racially charged.
• February 2022: Moore signed a second Memorandum of Understanding as a result of the commission finding he used his judicial position to mistreat law enforcement officers in a case he was handling.
• June 2022: Moore made comments on the Kelly Clarkson Show deemed to be racially charged
• April 2023: Moore posted information about a defendant on social media explaining what she needed to do to have her charges dismissed.
State law says Moore’s replacement on the Clarksdale bench must be an attorney of good standing before the Mississippi Bar and licensed in the State of Mississippi.
Municipal court judges set the bail of those arrested by the Clarksdale Police Department for crimes occurring inside the city limits of Clarksdale.
Municipal court judges work with City Prosecutor Bill Gresham and public defender Richard Lewis to set the Clarksdale Municipal Court docket.
When Moore could be appointed has not been finalized. Clarksdale Ward 3 Commissioner Willie Turner has retired from the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department as jail warden following the election of Sheriff Mario Magsby in November and Magsby taking office Jan. 1. State retirement requirements, say Turner must be unemployed by the state for 90-days before he can be re-employed by the state.
A judge could be named at the City’s Feb. 12 board meeting or even the Feb. 8 vetting meeting with Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk, Ward 2 Commissioner Jimmy Harris and Ward 3 Commissioner Ed Seals making the decision. Under the city’s weak mayor form of government, Mayor Espy only votes in the event of a tie.
