Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Jim Greenlee of Oxford took the oath of office Wednesday, Jan. 20, before his new colleagues in the Court of Appeals courtroom in Jackson.
Court of Appeals Chief Judge L. Joseph Lee, who administered the oath, said, “We are grateful and appreciative for him joining us on this court.”
A formal investiture will be held at a later date. Judge Greenlee took the oath of office so that he can go to work.
Judge Greenlee thanked Gov. Phil Bryant for the appointment.
Judge Greenlee said, “It’s a very humbling experience, and it’s a great honor for somebody who has grown up in a small town and been around the state for so long. This is fantastic.”
Judge Greenlee was appointed to the Court of Appeals vacancy created when Judge James D. Maxwell II was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The two previously served together as federal prosecutors: Greenlee as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi 2001 to 2010, and Maxwell as an assistant U.S. attorney from October 2002 through February 2009.
As U.S. Attorney, Greenlee headed the office which prosecuted public corruption and judicial influence cases and major drug distribution networks, and assisted in the cold case investigation of the murder of Emmett Till. He served on the initial U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Council during the aftermath of 9/11. He also served on the Office of Management and Budget Subcommittee, White Collar Crime Subcommittee, Controlled Substances/Asset Forfeiture Subcommittee and the Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee.
Greenlee’s service as a federal prosecutor spanned 22 years. He was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office from 1987 until 2001. He became the lead civil fraud attorney trying bankruptcy, tort, employment rights, eminent domain and white collar criminal cases.
He was in private practice with the Oxford firm of Holcomb Dunbar from 2010 until his appointment to the court.
Judge Greenlee earned a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Mississippi in 1974 and a law degree in 1981. He served active duty in the U.S. Navy 1974 to 1978, and in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 1997. During his reserve service, he was commanding officer of a Reserve Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Unit. He retired at the rank of captain.
