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THE LEGACY BEHIND THE DECISION​

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Remember my Daddy’s name. His name was W.H. Howard and throughout his life he was affectionately known as “Pee Wee” and “Poker”. Daddy was born in 1932 in Thornton, Mississippi – a tiny community in Holmes County where many members of the Howard family still live, within a stone’s throw of the railroad track. Daddy was always proud of where we come from. He always said we had Howard relatives and loved ones in every nook and cranny of Holmes County – from Goodman to the Yazoo River. Daddy’s parents, Monroe and Beatrice Howard, were sharecroppers. When Daddy was a little boy, they moved to Isola – you know, the place near Belzoni in Humphreys County. Daddy said I have Monroe’s sense of style. Monroe was a sharp dresser. When he wasn’t in overalls, he wore wingtip shoes with a high shine and a spectacular brim hat. Monroe was known to have talked some politics and law in town, gutsy for a black man in the 1940s Delta. I like to think I have some of that courage.

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But back to Daddy. He was a hard worker and word has it that his first job was at the Pig Stand in Belzoni on Highway 49. Seeking opportunity, money, and love, Daddy left Humphreys County in the early 1950s headed for Jackson and met and married Mom, Georgia Mason from Raymond, Mississippi. Fast forward, Daddy hustled. In 1976, he opened the most popular nightclub in the Jackson area, Palm Garden Lounge and Restaurant. Everybody came – black and white, IRS agents, postal workers, janitors, cooks, attorneys, physicians, and judges. This is what I remember. Daddy held court at that bar. He listened to his customers’ problems with exacting patience and he settled disputes. Often, he would bring the issues home and ask Mom for advice – as if he was taking the dilemmas of the day back to his chambers under advisement. I became privy to adult conversations about grown folks’ problems. And sometimes I would chime in with my own opinions – unsolicited. Looking back, Daddy was no less than an arbiter. He mixed drinks of rum, fruit and lime juice with tough love and compassion and gave me my first example of what a fair legal system should look like.

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Did I tell you? Daddy could not read or write. He never read one of those thousand-page law books but his life experiences made him a wise man. Daddy made sure I had both – book smarts and common sense. And he kept me grounded about where I come from. Almost every Saturday morning, Daddy woke me and my siblings Kaye and Wayne and said, “It’s time to go to your Aunt Mable’s in Isola.” Happily, we raced to the car for the road trip up Highway 49. It is nothing but the truth to say I fell in love with Humphreys County on those Saturdays. The fresh air. Acres and acres of cotton fields and catfish ponds. God’s open country. Playing with my cousins the Washingtons (Terrance, Hattie B, Sammie, Kay, Cave Man, and about a billion more) as Daddy hunted and fished on Cole Lake with his dear friends Buddy Goodall and Tommy Hollins. Not a care in the world. A gift to my childhood. If we behaved and were lucky, we got a chance to stop at Aunt Mattie Lou and Uncle John Robinson’s house on 5th Street in Yazoo City. We would then walk to the Red Barn and buy Orange Nehi pop drinks and Sugar Daddy candy for the day.

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THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTING THE DECISION

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Stay with me. Daddy made good money and sent me to some fancy schools – Millsaps, Notre Dame, and Georgetown. United States Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was my law school classmate. We agreed on some things. Disagreed on others. But we both did our homework.

 

Just like Daddy drove fast and hard up and down Highway 49, I’ve logged hard-earned miles of relevant experience. Mississippi Supreme Court Clerk for Justice William L. Waller, Jr.; United States District Court Clerk for Judge Henry T. Wingate; Assistant District Attorney for Pike, Walthall, and Lincoln counties; Assistant District Attorney for Hinds County; Associate Attorney at Phelps Dunbar; Special State Assistant Attorney General under Mike Moore and Jim Hood; Pastor of We Are One United Methodist Church; Special Assistant to the Provost, Assistant Tenure Track Professor, Director of Reuben V. Anderson Pre-Law Program, and Co-chair of Faculty at Tougaloo College; City Attorney and Chief Legal Officer for the City of Jackson; Assistant District Attorney for Holmes, Humphreys, and Yazoo counties; Contractual Public Defender for the City of Jackson; Public Defender for Humphreys County; and private practitioner.

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THE “WHY” BEHIND THE DECISION

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Throughout my communication with hundreds of students, church members, clients and colleagues, it increasingly occurred to me that I have the toughness, courtesy, patience, kindness, courage, and respect for humanity to be an efficient judge.

 

In my nearly 30 years of practice, I have learned that nothing is more personally and professionally satisfying than helping to change someone’s life for the better. Let me give you two examples.

 

First, I was a prosecuting attorney in a case of capital murder and armed robbery where dangerous men from Leflore County came into Holmes County and terrorized a nightclub establishment. They robbed, assaulted, and killed owners and patrons of the club around four o’clock in the morning. The entire community had lived with fear and uncertainty. The perpetrators received life sentences. It was meaningful to have provided some measure of closure for the victims and the community.

 

Second, I was defending a case where a young man was accused of domestic violence. His freedom, right to carry a firearm, ability to maintain his job, and reputation were all at stake. I met with him in my office, listened to his story, and knew he was innocent. I believed the charge was fabricated. I defended him to the utmost and he was found not guilty. The young man and I shook hands and knew that justice had prevailed.

 

These two cases are completely different. For me, what connects them is that I was able to make a difference. And more than anything that is why I want to be a judge. Your judge. I want to make a difference. I will make a difference.​

 

HONORING THE DECISION​

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In making a difference, the following points will be objectives of the time I serve as your Judge.

 

• Fostering speedy resolution of cases and sentencing violent offenders and perpetrators of major property crimes.

• Creating a mental health program for nonviolent offenders with mental health illnesses to reduce the rate of repeat offense, where appropriate.

• Implementing a trade and academic program for first-time nonviolent offenders to reduce the rate of repeat offense, where appropriate.

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THE ASK

 

As I sit at home in Yazoo City and reflect upon my deep roots in Holmes County, treasured memories in Isola, and my far-reaching professional experiences, I believe that I have the winning case. Serving as your circuit court judge truly is a natural extension of the road I’ve traveled since childhood. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. I am a good man.

 

I ask for your vote in 2026 to serve as your Circuit Court Judge of Holmes, Humphreys, and Yazoo counties.

 

Humbly,

 

TIM HOWARD