/Chancery judge suspended for a month

Chancery judge suspended for a month

Shoemake was ordered to be placed on suspension for 30 days, pay a $2,500 fine, and pay $5,882.67 court costs. The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance had asked the high court for Shoemake’s removal as chancery judge in District 13. According to the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, the investigation found that Shoemake “improperly signed ex parte order and contributed to mismanagement of ward’s estate.” Justice Josiah Coleman ruled that the commission did not prove convincingly that Shoemake had testified that he “knew or should have known” of the errors in his actions. “We cannot agree that the Commission presented evidence that Shoemake gave false or misleading testimony in the case” and that the Commission did not provide sworn testimony that would contradict Shoemakes “plausible version.” In 2013, Shoemake filed a complaint alleging that he was responsible for the mismanagement in a case that was well-known to his court. This resulted in Judge Joe Dale Walker being dismissed from Simpson County. Coleman ruled that Shoemake, a second term chancellor, did not adhere to chancery court rules regarding conservatorships. He also failed to investigate matters submitted by the case lawyer, which resulted in financial losses for the ward. Chief Judge William Waller Jr., and justices Jess Dickinson and Ann Lamar joined Coleman in agreeing to the ruling. Leslie King, Jim Kitchens, and Michael Randolph all concurred in part but dissented in their separate opinions.