Batesville attorney Richard “Flip” Phillips has qualified to run for the Northern District Supreme Court position being vacated by the retirement of Justice George Carlson. Carlson, who has served on the Court since 2001, is also of Batesville.

“For ten years Justice George Carlson has worked harder than anyone to make the Mississippi Supreme Court a fair and balanced court,” said Phillips. “I want to continue that tradition.”

Richard T. Phillips is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Law School (JD, ‘72). While at law school, he was president of the student body and a member of the Mississippi Law Journal. He is a former president of the William C. Keady Chapter of the American Inns of Court, and member of the Board of Directors of the University of Mississippi Law School Alumni Association. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and the Lamar Order of the University of Mississippi.  

 Phillips’ law career has spanned 39 years. He has been City Attorney for the City of Batesville since 1978, and members of his law firm, Smith Phillips Mitchell Scott and Nowak, LLP, serve as City Prosecutor for the City of Batesville and Attorney for the Board of Supervisors of Desoto County. Current clientele include Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association, First Security Bank, Dunlap and Kyle and numerous businesses, large and small, as well as individual Mississippi citizens. He has handled insurance litigation throughout the nation.”

Flip is attorney for Panola Partnership, the county’s current economic development entity, and is a former president of the Panola County Industrial Development Foundation.

Commenting on the current legal system Flip stated: ”Today, more than ever, it is important that the Court enforce the criminal laws of this State. The hard working men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line doing that job everyday. The courts at every level should stand behind those efforts. And in today’s society,” he continued, “civil lawsuits have become too expensive for Mississippi citizens and businesses.”

There has to be a faster, more affordable method of resolving legitimate disputes regarding economic property rights.  I want to work to find that way.”

The Northern Supreme Court District spans 33 counties across North Mississippi.  Born in 1947, “Flip” Phillips is a native of Batesville.  He and his wife Vera attended South Panola High School and reside today in the hometown where they grew up. Flip and Vera have been married for 43 years.

They are the parents of three children and four grandchildren. 

“My number one concern is what kind of world my four grandchildren are going to live in,” said Phillips. “I want that world to be a better place for all of our children and grandchildren in Mississippi.  That’s why I am running for the Mississippi Supreme Court.”