The Supreme Court of Mississippi Bar Complaint Tribunal has suspended former Clarksdale Municipal Judge Carlos E. Moore.
In the 21-page opinion and final judgement filed Dec. 31, the Mississippi Bar suspended Moore from practicing in the Magnolia State and that suspension is also recognized in various other states in the country.
The decision said Moore “shall be suspended from the practice of law for a period of one year.” Moore is barred from performing any legal services or collecting fees for legal services. He must notify each of his clients that he can no longer handle their cases and also reimburse the Mississippi Bar $599.30 in court expenses.
The suspension stems from complaint accusing Moore of violating multiple state rules on professional conduct in the handling of settlement funds from a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2017.
Specifically the suspension looked at the way Moore handled the wrongful death settlement of $300,000 for the estate of Jamaal Mallard, who was picked up by police in October 2015 for petty larceny in Jackson and died in the Jackson Jail.
Moore placed the money from the settlement into his personal legal account instead of an estate account. More than $111,000 was disbursed at attorney fees and expenses. The remaining proceeds were supposed to be split between the deceased’s mother and brother, who was incarcerated at the time.
The order said Moore never notified brother Jamuric Mallard about his $90,000 windfall. Instead, Moore gave the mother Nanette Mallard both shares. He told her to hold on to the son’s portion but did not help her set up an estate account. Moore told the tribunal he did not realize the mother had used all the money for her own personal use for more than two-and-a-half years.
While the ruling is for violations of the rules and discipline of the Mississippi State Bar, copies of the opinion were also sent to federal district and bankruptcy courts, as well as the Fifth circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is not the first time Moore had run afoul of rules and the Mississippi Bar.
In January 2024, the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance recommended the removal of Moore from municipal judge positions in both Clarksdale and Grenada to suspend him from the bench for six years and to fine him $5,000. He was required to appear in both Clarksdale and Grenada open court and admit his guilt.
The Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners appoints Municipal Court Judges. Moore was appointed shortly after the election of Mayor Chuck Espy in 2018 when Clarksdale residents, Judge Joe Gibbs and Judge Don Dee were replace with out-of-town judges Moore and Derrick Hopson.
Moore was named Judge Pro Tempore and may be best known for his and Espy’s “Second Chance” initiative that allowed juveniles brought before Moore’s court to write a book report and promise to make better grades in school rather than receive a fine or detention.
Moore was also disciplined with a suspension, fine and public reprimand by the Mississippi Supreme Court in February 2023.
The incident that brought the reprimand occurred Dec. 8, 2020, according to the Supreme Court decision issued Thursday, Feb. 16 and that story was posted to the Clarksdale Press Register website.
It states that Judge Moore, who also practices law with The Cochran Firm, “criticized” Grenada Police Department Chief George Douglas and Det. Sgt. Chris Brown “publicly” during open court concerning a discussion about a private client of Moore’s that occurred four days earlier at his private law office, located on Branscome Drive in Grenada.
The private client of Judge Moore’s was a victim of a shooting at the Satan’s Sidekick Clubhouse in Grenada in November 2020, according to the Mississippi Commission of Judicial Performance, which filed the formal complaint against Judge Moore. The complaint was filed “alleging that he improperly summoned two local police officers to the municipal courtroom in Grenada and criticized them publicly.”
Moore was suspended for 60-day, fined $1,500 and reprimanded publicly in Coahoma County Circuit Court.
State law said Moore’s replacement must be an attorney of good standing before the Mississippi Bar and licensed in the State of Mississippi.
And making that decision was not without controversy with the Board of Mayor and Commissioners unable to seat a quorum for right at three months last year, as Ward 3 Commissioner Willie Turner vacated his post with the city upon his retirement as the county’s jailer after the last election.
The state PERS (Public Employees’ Retirement System) requires a 90-day break before getting another paycheck from another government agency in the state. There was some question if Turner’s vacating his post for 90 days might not prompt a petition to be filed to fill that post.
In March 2024The city ultimately hired In March 2024 Commissioners voted 3-2 to appoint both Cynthia Mitchell and Burks Rogers as Municipal Court Judges. The vote also gave sitting city judge Derrick Hopson a $26,000 raise sending his salary over $60,000.
Municipal court judges set the bail of those arrested by the Clarksdale Police Department for crimes occurring inside the city limits of Clarksdale.
Municipal court judges work with City Prosecutor Bill Gresham and public defender Richard Lewis to set the Clarksdale Municipal Court docket and try cases of those charged with crimes in the city limits of Clarksdale.
