Mississippi voters see 1 court race elected by district, 9 county-level judicial races in the counties we track on the November 3, 2026 ballot in the races The Ballot Brief tracks. Retention questions are a yes-or-no vote on keeping a sitting judge; elected seats work like any other race.
Court races elected by district
Each of these seats appears only on ballots inside its court district or county. Enter your address in the lookup to see which, if any, is yours.
Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.
John WeddleIncumbent
John Weddle is the sitting judge of Mississippi Court of Appeals District 1, Position 1, appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves on October 14, 2024. He had practiced law since 1995 and served as district attorney for the First Circuit Court District covering seven northeast Mississippi counties since 2015, and previously worked as an assistant district attorney, Lee County public defender and Tupelo municipal court judge, per the governor's office. He holds a law degree from the University of Mississippi. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 15, 2026.
Derek Dewayne Hopson Jr. is a candidate for Court of Appeals, District 1, Position 1 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the state's certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 15, 2026.
