CJE REQUIREMENT

The use of the term "judges" herein shall be deemed to include Senior Judges, Family Court Judges, Circuit Judges, Chancellors, County Court Judges, Youth Court Judges, including Youth Court Referees, Court of Appeals Judges, and Supreme Court Justices. Each judge and justice in the State of Mississippi shall attend, or complete an approved substitute for attendance, a minimum of twelve (12) actual hours of approved Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) during each successive twelve (12) month period (the “CJE year”) from and after August 1 of each year, of which one hour shall be in the area of legal ethics, professional responsibility, professionalism, (the “ethics/professionalism hour”), except for Youth Court Referees and new judges as hereinafter provided, and provided the funding for said educational programs is available through the Mississippi Judicial College or state travel allowance. For every new Youth Court Referee there shall be a requirement that every referee, within six (6) months of being appointed to office, receive at least twelve (12) actual hours of juvenile justice training, approved by the Mississippi Judicial College and thereafter complete at least twelve (12) actual hours of juvenile justice training, approved by the Mississippi Judicial College, each CJE year, provided funding is available through the Mississippi Judicial College or state travel allowance. Every new circuit, chancery, county, family court judge, elected or appointed, there shall be a requirement that every judge shall attend, within one year of taking office, even though (s)he has not taken office, the General Jurisdiction course at the National Judicial College at Reno, Nevada, or other judicial college approved by the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education provided funding is available through the Mississippi Judicial College or state travel allowance. Every new justice, elected or appointed, to the Supreme Court and judge, elected or appointed, to the Court of Appeals of the State of Mississippi, shall attend, within one year of taking office, an appropriate appellate judges course approved by the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education provided funding is available through the Mississippi Supreme Court or state travel allowance, or Mississippi Judicial College. Every new judge, elected or certified to take office on the Court of Appeals, shall attend an intensive education program to be presented by Mississippi Judicial College or other appropriate appellate course. Said program will be approved by the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education provided funding is available through the Mississippi Supreme Court, state travel allowance, or Mississippi Judicial College. This intensive 3 course may eliminate the first year course required in the immediate preceding paragraph if approved by the CJE Committee. [Amended effective August 1, 1994; January 1, 1998; July 1, 2012; August 1, 2019.] Regulations 3.1 The number of hours required means that the judge or justice must actually attend twelve (12) instructional hours of CJE per year with no credit given for introductory remarks, meal breaks, or business meetings. 3.1.1 Youth Court Referees will only be credited for instructional hours in juvenile justice training, actually attended, which juvenile justice training shall be approved by the Mississippi Judicial College. 3.2 An instructional hour will in all events contain at least fifty (50) minutes. 3.3 Judges or justices who have a permanent physical disability which makes attendance at CJE programs inordinately difficult may file a request for a permanent substitute program in lieu of attendance and shall therein set out continuing legal education plans tailored to their specific interests and physical ability. The Committee shall review and approve or disapprove such plans on an individual basis and without delay. Rejection of any requested substitute for attendance will be reviewed as provided in Rule 6 prior to any sanction being imposed. 3.4 Other requests for substituted compliance, partial waivers, or other exemptions for hardship or extenuating circumstances may be granted by the Committee upon written application of the judge, and may likewise be reviewed as provided in Rule 6. 3.5 A maximum of twelve (12) hours of credit in excess of the minimum annual requirement may be carried forward for credit in the succeeding CJE year. Such hours must, however, be reported in the Annual Report of Compliance for the CJE year in which they were completed and must be designated as hours to be carried forward. 3.6 Credit will be given only for continuing judicial education activities approved by the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education. Such approval normally must be sought and granted prior to the occurrence of the activity, but may be given retroactively. 4 3.6.1 Only six hours credit per year can be earned at a Judge Advocate General military course, and no hours may be carried forward from this source. For CJE credit approval, the participating judge/justice shall submit a copy of the program. 3.7.1 Credit may be earned through teaching in an approved continuing legal education activity. Presentations accompanied by thorough, high quality, readable, and carefully prepared written materials will qualify for CJE credit on the basis of six (6) hours of credit for each instructional hour presentation. Presentations accompanied by one or two page outlines or not accompanied by written materials will qualify for CJE credit on the basis of three (3) hours of credit per hour of presentation. Repeat presentations qualify for one half of the credits available for the initial presentation. 3.7.2 Credit may also be earned through teaching a course in an ABA or AALS approved law school. The Mississippi Judicial College will award six (6) hours of CJE credit for each hour of academic credit awarded by the law school for the course. 3.7.3 Credit may also be earned through authorship of a law journal article on matters of law published by an ABA or AALS approved law school. The Mississippi Judicial College will award six (6) hours of CJE credit for each such article published. 3.8 Credit may be earned through formal enrollment and education of a postgraduate nature in an ABA or AALS accredited law school. The Mississippi Judicial College will award six (6) hours of CJE credit for each hour of academic credit awarded by the law school. 3.9 A maximum of six (6) hours of CJE credit may be claimed for activities where electronically recorded or reproduced material is used. [Amended effective August 1, 1994; January 1, 1998; August 1, 2019.]