Charlie Ross is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and attorney who lives in

Brandon, Mississippi Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan ...

. He served as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from District 20 in the

Mississippi Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

until 2007. District 20 comprises parts of Madison and Rankin Counties. Ross was first elected to the Senate in 1997 after serving as the representative from District 59 in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

. Prior to his legislative service, he served as the Chairman of the Rankin County Republican Executive Committee. In 2008, Ross ran for Congress in

Mississippi's 3rd congressional district Mississippi's 3rd congressional district (MS-3) covers central portions of state and stretches from the Louisiana border in the west to the Alabama border in the east. Large cities in the district include Meridian, Mississippi, Meridian, Stark ...

, but was defeated in the primary by Rankin County Republican Chairman

Gregg Harper Gregory Livingston Harper (born June 1, 1956) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the wealthier portions of the state capit ...

Education and military service

Ross grew up and attended high school in Eupora, Webster County,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. Ross is a 1978 graduate of the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

, with a B.S. in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. After the academy, he served on active duty as a fighter interceptor pilot. In 1991, he was activated and served as a C-141 pilot during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

with the

Mississippi Air National Guard The Mississippi Air National Guard (MS ANG), commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Mississippi Ar ...

. In 2007 the National Guard Association awarded Ross the Charles Dick Award.

Legal career

In 1988 Charlie obtained his J.D., with honors, from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. Ross maintains a full law practice, concentrating on civil litigation. He is a shareholder in the Jackson law firm of Wise Carter Child and Caraway. He is admitted to practice before all Mississippi courts, the

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

and the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

Mississippi State Senate

In the Mississippi Senate, Ross served as Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee, which handles a wide variety of legislative issues including civil justice matters. He also served on the Constitution, Elections, Environmental Protection, Executive Contingent Fund, Finance, Insurance, and the Veteran and Military Affairs committees.

Tort reform

In 2004, as Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee, Ross drafted the Comprehensive

Tort Reform Tort reform consists of changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigation (particularly actions for negligence) or to reduce damages they can receive. Such changes ...

bill and was the leader in the Senate in the successful fight to pass the bill. Senator Merle Flowers (R-DeSoto) said, "Senator Charlie Ross’ leadership and knowledge of our civil justice system was crucial in the tort reform fight. Charlie knew what needed to be done, and he knew how to do it.

is fortunate to have a leader of his character and ability in the Senate." The

American Tort Reform Association The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to reforming the civil justice system and advocating for tort reform. It was founded in 1986 by the American Council of Engineering Companies and was joi ...

(ATRA) presented Ross with the Civil Justice Achievement Award. Ross also served as the Public Sector Chairman of the Civil Justice Task Force of the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservatism in the United States, conservative state legislature (United States), state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share Model act, ...

(ALEC), a national organization of state legislators and private sector members. In 2007, ALEC recognized Ross's legislative accomplishments by naming him Legislator of the Year. In 2007, the U.S. Chamber awarded Ross its Legislative Achievement Award.

Personal life

Ross and his family live in Rankin County. He and his family are members of Lakeside Presbyterian Church, where he serves as a Sunday school teacher. Ross and his wife, Sharon, have three sons: Andy, David, and Steven.

External links

CharlieRoss.com
- Campaign Website
Winning the Tort War in Mississippi: Keys for Success in other States
DF {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Charlie 1956 births Living people People from Eupora, Mississippi American Presbyterians Republican Party Mississippi state senators Republican Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Mississippi lawyers Harvard Law School alumni United States Air Force Academy alumni United States Air Force personnel of the Gulf War People from Brandon, Mississippi Mississippi National Guard personnel United States Air Force officers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature 21st-century members of the Mississippi Legislature