Judge Jannie Lewis

CLEO 1980

“Without the CLEO experience, I would have never stayed in law school that first year. Because of CLEO, I knew what to expect and gained the confidence that I could endure law school. I am a Circuit Judge today because I am a CLEO Fellow.”

Judge Jannie M. Lewis began her law career as a Staff Attorney with North Mississippi Rural Legal Services in Lexington, MS and later as Managing Attorney in Greenwood, MS. Thereafter, in 1987, she entered into private practice in Lexington, MS, where she held various positions, including Public Defender for the County, Prosecuting Attorney for the City of Lexington, and Municipal Judge for the Town of Tchula. In November 1995, Judge Lewis was elected to the Circuit Bench of the Twenty-First Judicial District for the State of Mississippi where she presently serves.

Judge Lewis of Lexington received her B. A. from Jackson State University in 1980 and her J. D. from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1983. She was admitted to The Mississippi Bar in April 1984.

In 2000, Judge Lewis received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall of Fame Committee’s Thurgood Marshall Award for outstanding and dedicated service. Judge Lewis is a member, Sunday School teacher and Trustee of the New Gordon Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. She and husband, Earl Blackmon, have been married for the past seven years.