An investiture ceremony for newly elected Seventeenth Circuit Court Judge Smith Murphey of Batesville is scheduled for 11 a.m. Dec. 28 at the Panola County Courthouse in Batesville.

Retiring Senior Circuit Judge Andrew C. Baker will administer the oath of office.  

Murphey was elected November 2 to fill  the judgeship which Judge Baker  held for more than 32 years. The district includes DeSoto, Panola, Tallahatchie, Tate and Yalobusha counties.

New circuit, chancery and county court judges statewide will take the oath of office within the next few days. State trial court judges serve four-year terms.

Murphey has served as assistant district attorney of the Seventeenth Circuit District for the past 14 years. He is former president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association and former president of the Prosecutors Section of the Mississippi Bar.

He has taught trial techniques and constitutional law to prosecutors from other states for the National Advocacy Center and the National District Attorneys Association.

He has served on the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions for the past two years.

Murphey earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi and a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law.  

Murphey is married to Carole Murphey, who is a staff attorney at the Mississippi Judicial College at the University of Mississippi. The Murpheys have three children.

Murphey is a member of the Board of Directors of the Batesville Rotary Club, a member of the Panola Partnership, and a volunteer at the Panola Food Pantry. He is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Murphey has served as a deacon and is currently an elder of the Batesville Presbyterian Church.