Live runoff results: St. Pé and Schloegel on the ballot in Court of Appeals showdown
.png "Court of Appeals candidates Jennifer Schloegel, left, and Amy St. Pé.")
South Mississippi voters had one last race to decide Tuesday, with Jennifer Schloegel of Gulfport and Amy Lassiter St. Pé of Pascagoula in a runoff for a seat on the state Court of Appeals.
Schloegel and St. Pé knocked Ian Baker, an assistant district attorney, out of the race in the Nov. 5 general election, but neither woman got 50% of the vote. St. Pé led with 35%, while Schloegel received 33%, according to the Associated Press.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Harrison County Circuit Clerk Justin Wetzel said he hopes voters will show up because it’s Thanksgiving week. Also, the Court of Appeal race is the only race on the ballot in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties.
“I don’t have a good feeling about Tuesday,” Wetzel said. “I hope I’m wrong. These candidates have probably worked upward of a year on their campaigns. They deserve to have people go out and vote. This race is just as important as any other race.”
Court of Appeals candidate credentials
Schloegel has served since 2011 as a Chancery Court judge for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties.
She graduated from University of Mississippi law school and also attended Emory University law school in Atlanta. Schloegel said her time as a chancery judge gives her the experience needed to sit on the appeals court. She pointed out that chancery judges hear appeals from county and justice courts, and said that the state Court of Appeals has upheld her rulings in 32 of 33 cases.
She has presided over trials involving fraud, governmental disputes, and public corruption, and says that she has followed the law even when it goes against government or other powerful interests. Schloegel practiced law before becoming a judge, specializing in personal injury, civil litigation, business law, trust and estate litigation, estate planning, and probate, her campaign website says.
St. Pé has stressed her wide range of legal experience, saying she’s shown the “temperament and skills” to be fair, and follow and uphold the law.
She graduated from Mississippi College law school and has practiced law for 22 years. She founded her own law firm in Pascagoula, specializing in governmental law. She has served for 15 years as a city attorney for Moss Point and is also a municipal judge for the city of Gautier.
St. Pé also served on a committee of Gulf Coast Restoration Funds Advisory Council, to which she was appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves, and is on the board of directors for Merchants & Marine Bank, the biography on her campaign website says. She also serves as attorney for both the Pascagoula and Moss Point redevelopment authorities.
St. Pé and Schloegel are vying for the District 5, Position 2 seat on the court, which is assigned appellate cases by the Supreme Court where the law is settled but facts are in dispute. The Court of Appeals has 10 judges who serve staggered, 8-year terms. The sitting judge, former District Attorney Joel Smith, did not seek re-election.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
