Johnnie Max Kilpatrick (January 24, 1945 – December 10, 2024) was an American judge and politician. He served as judge to the 6th district of the Mississippi Chancery Court from 2005 until his retirement in 2010. Previously, Kilpatrick was a member of 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 ...

from 1972 until 1980.

Early life and education

Kilpatrick was born in

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Philadelphia is municipal corporation, i ...

, on January 24, 1945, to Johnnie and Desma Kilpatrick. He had two siblings, Linda and Gerald. Kilpatrick graduated from Philadelphia High School in 1963. He attended

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, obtaining a

bachelor of science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in accounting. Kilpatrick later attended the

University of Mississippi School of Law The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, United States. Established in 1854, the School of Law offers t ...

, graduating with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree in 1973.

Career

State politics

Kilpatrick served in the

from the 26th district, which covers Leake County and Neshoba County, from January 1972 until 1980.

Local politics

Upon graduation in 1973, Kilpatrick started law practice in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He served as the District Attorney of the Mississippi 8th Judicial District (Mississippi Circuit Courts) in 1980. Kilpatrick also served as Board Attorney of the Neshoba County Board of Supervisors for 17 years. Kilpatrick was appointed to succeed Edward C. Prisock as judge to the 6th district of the Mississippi Chancery Court by Governor

Haley Barbour Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously ser ...

, taking office on July 1, 2005. He was reelected in November 2006, for a 4-year term. Kilpatrick retired from the position in May 2010, effective June 30. During his tenure, he swore in James Young, the first African-American mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi. Kilpatrick was succeeded by D. Joseph Kilgore. As a member of The Mississippi Bar from 1973, Kilpatrick continued law practice, serving as a referee to the

Juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

of Kemper County until his retirement from the position in 2022.

Other ventures

In addition to law and politics, Kilpatrick served in the

Mississippi National Guard The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), commonly known as the Mississippi Guard, is both a Mississippi state and a federal government organization, part of the United States National Guard. It is part of the Mississippi Military Department, a state ...

for 26 years, retiring with the rank

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Controversies

In 2008, Kilpatrick ruled that Mississippi's

price gouging Price gouging is the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair by some. This commonly applies to price increases of basic necessities after natural disaste ...

law was unconstitutional, rejecting

Jim Hood James Matthew Hood (born May 15, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 39th Attorney General of Mississippi from 2004 to 2020. Hood was first elected Attorney General in 2003, defeating Republican Scott Newton. A former ...

's claims. Hood had sued the

Louisville, Mississippi Louisville (pronounced LEW-iss-vill) is a city in and the county seat of Winston County, Mississippi. The population was 6,072 at the 2020 census. History Like Winston County, Louisville is named for Louis Winston (1784–1824), a colonel in ...

gas company Fair Oil Co. in 2007, accusing them of price gouging in the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in 2005. After an appeal hearing in 2010, Kilpatrick's ruling was overturned unanimously in 2011.

Personal life and death

Kilpatrick was married to Kathy House Kilpatrick and had three children, along with a step-child. His daughter, Amy, also served as a referee to the Juvenile court of Kemper County. Kilpatrick died in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on December 10, 2024, at the age of 79.