Gov. Phil Bryant announced that he has appointed M. Wayne Thompson to the position of Jones County Court Judge.
Thompson will replace Gaylon Harper, who is retiring on Dec. 31.
Thompson’s appointment will be effective on Jan. 1. Gov. Bryant said the seat will appear on the ballot in November 2018.
“I appreciate Judge Harper’s service to the people of Jones County and wish him well upon his retirement,” Gov. Bryant said. “Wayne’s experience practicing law in both the public and private sector make him a good fit to replace Judge Harper, and I am grateful he has accepted this appointment.”
Thompson has served as Jones County prosecuting attorney since 1997. He has served as attorney for the Jones County Board of Supervisors since 2005. Since 2015, Thompson has represented the Jones County Economic Development Authority and the South Mississippi Fair Commission. He also maintains a private practice.
“I look forward to serving the people of Jones County in this new position, and I appreciate the trust Governor Bryant has placed in me to do the work of county judge.”
Thompson graduated from Jones County Junior College and Mississippi State University, where he received a bachelor of business administration in 1992. He received his Juris Doctorate from University of Mississippi School of Law in 1995.
He is past president of the Jones County Bar Association and the Jones County Young Lawyers Bar Association. He and his wife, Tina McDonnieal Thompson, have been married 20 years. They have three children.
