Justice Amanda Jones Tollison investiture to be held November 12 in Oxford

Justice Amanda Jones Tollison investiture to be held November 12 in Oxford

November 3, 2026

An investiture ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Amanda Jones Tollison will be held on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford.

Chief Justice Mike Randolph will administer the ceremonial oath. Justice Tollison was sworn in on Sept. 1 to start her appointive term. It is traditional to hold an investiture ceremony at a later time.

Former Gov. Haley Barbour and Gov. Tate Reeves will speak at the investiture. Justice Tollison served as legal counsel to Gov. Barbour from 2008 to 2012, where she got her first experience in public service. She advised Gov. Barbour on legal, legislative and policy matters, including judicial appointments, elections, budget issues and disaster recovery efforts. Gov. Reeves appointed Justice Tollison to a vacancy created by the confirmation of former Justice James D. Maxwell II of Oxford to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Justice Tollison's appointive term will expire on Jan. 3, 2028. A special election for District 3, Place 2 on the Supreme Court will be held on Nov. 2, 2027.

Tollison is the seventh woman to serve during the history of the Mississippi Supreme Court. With her appointment, the Supreme Court has three female Justices currently serving B the most in the history of the Court. Justice Jenifer B. Branning of Philadelphia was elected in November 2024 and began serving in January 2025. Justice Celeste Embrey Wilson of Southaven was appointed on August 1. Six men currently serve on the state's highest court.

Tollison served as President of the Mississippi Bar from July 2019 through July 2020. She served on the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the Southern Conference of Bar Presidents 2018-2022. While serving as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar in 2005, she led the Disaster Legal Assistance Program, which provided pro bono legal services to thousands of Mississippians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She is a Fellow and former trustee of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and a member of the University of Mississippi Lamar Order. She served in numerous other state Bar leadership roles, and was a member of the Access to Justice Commission.

She has practiced law for 30 years. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was a partner with Butler Snow LLP. Earlier in her career, she practiced with Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP and Phelps Dunbar LLP. Her practice areas included administrative and regulatory law, election and campaign finance, environment permitting and compliance matters, governmental litigation, government relations and public utilities. She also has experience in complex commercial and product liability litigation and white collar criminal defense. She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, listed in Best Lawyers in American^® and recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers^®.

Justice Tollison earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mississippi State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She grew up in Amite County. She is married to Circuit Judge Gray Tollison of Oxford.

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