On Tuesday, November 7, Mississippians will vote to elect a Governor. This race will have a significant impact on the future of our state. Attached, you will see how the next Governor will affect everything from the courts to state agencies. Governor Tate Reeves has a proven record and has shown leadership on issues vital to the continued growth of Mississippi’s economy.

People need to know that Gubernatorial appointments directly impact the success of Mississippi’s businesses.

The Importance of Gubernatorial Appointments

In the Courts

  • In the event of a vacancy, the Governor appoints judges to the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, Chancery Court, and County Court.
     
  • To get an idea of how many judicial appointments the next Governor might make, as of October 2023, the total number of judicial appointments made by Governor Reeves is 15. Former Governor Bryant made 21 appointments to the judiciary, and former Governor Haley Barbour made 19. Former Governors Bryant and Barbour appointed five of the nine current Supreme Court Justices. Governor Reeves and former Governor Bryant appointed five of the ten current Court of Appeals Justices.

At the Federal Level

  • In case of a vacancy in the office of a US Senator, the Governor appoints a Senator to fill the vacancy.
    • Governor Haley Barbour appointed Senator Roger Wicker (R)
    • Governor Phil Bryant appointed Senator Cyndy Hyde-Smith (R)
       
  • The Governor must approve congressional redistricting, which is the process of drawing new congressional district boundaries.

At the State Level

  • The Governor himself serves on numerous boards and commissions that serve an essential role in shaping public policy and programs that have long term impacts on the state. The Governor serves on the following:
    • State Bond Commission
    • Election Commission
    • Appalachian Regional Commission
    • Delta Regional Authority
    • Southern States Energy Board
    • Occupational Licensing Review Commission

Also, the Governor is empowered to call special legislative sessions and set the purpose and agenda for the session in advance. The Governor also has the power to veto legislation.

Appointments to State Agencies, Boards & Commissions

  • The governor appoints directors of state agencies and numerous boards and commissions which regulate business and industry, healthcare, public safety, local governments, etc. within the state.
  • Banking & Consumer Finance
  • Child Protective Services
  • Department of Employment Security
  • Department of Environmental Quality
  • Department of Finance & Administration
  • Department of Human Services
  • Department of Marine Resources
  • Department of Medicaid
  • Department of Public Safety
  • Department of Rehabilitation Services
  • Department of Revenue
  • Homeland Security
  • Mississippi Development Authority
  • Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
  • National Guard Adjutant General
  • State Aid Road Construction  
  • State Public Defender

Agencies, Boards & Commissions Appointed by the Governor

  • ABLE Board of Directors
  • Accountancy, State Board of Public
  • Adjutant General
  • Aging, Mississippi Leadership Council On
  • Agriculture and Commerce Department
  • Air Ambulance Service Board of Southeast Mississippi
  • Animal Health, State Board of
  • Architecture, State Board Of
  • Arts, Mississippi Commission On
  • Athletic Commission
  • Auctioneer Commission
  • Autism Advisory Committee, Mississippi
  • Autism Board, Mississippi
  • Banking and Consumer Finance, Department Of
  • Banking Review, State Board Of
  • Barber Examiners, State Board Of
  • Bicentennial Celebration Commission, MS
  • Blind, Mississippi Industries for The
  • Blues Commission, Mississippi
  • Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Board
  • Bond Attorney, State
  • Business Finance Corporation, Mississippi
  • Capital City Convention Center Commission
  • Central Market Board
  • Charter School Authorizer Board, Mississippi
  • Chiropractic Examiners, Board Of
  • Civil Rights Museum Advisory Committee
  • Civil War Battlefield Commission
  • Claiborne County Port Commission
  • Coast Coliseum Commission, Mississippi
  • College Savings Plans of Mississippi
  • Commercial Mobile Radio Service Board
  • Community College Board, Mississippi
  • Contractors, State Board Of
  • Corn Promotion Board, Mississippi
  • Corrections, Department Of
  • Cosmetology, State Board Of
  • Counselors, State Board of Examiners for Licensed
  • Country and Western Music Commission
  • Crime Stoppers Advisory Council
  • Dental Examiners, Board Of
  • Development Authority, Mississippi
  • Development Disabilities Planning Council
  • Disabilities Planning Council, Development
  • Drug Utilization Review Board, Division of Medicaid
  • Early Childhood Education and Care, State
  • Early Learning Collaboration Grant Program
  • Ednet Institute
  • Education, State Board Of
  • Educational Television Authority (Miss. Public Bro
  • Egg Marketing Board
  • Electronic Protection Licensing Advisory Board
  • Electronic Recording Commission, Mississippi
  • Emergency Management Agency
  • Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council
  • Employment Security, Department Of
  • Engineers and Surveyors, Mississippi Board of Lice
  • Environmental Quality Permit Board
  • Environmental Quality, Mississippi Commission on
  • Ethics Commission
  • Fair Commission
  • Finance and Administration, Department Of
  • Forest Inventory, Mississippi Institute For
  • Foresters, Board of Registration for
  • Forestry Commission, Mississippi
  • Funeral Service, State Board Of
  • Gaming Commission
  • Geologists, Board of Registered Professional
  • Grand Gulf Military Monument Commission
  • Greenville Port Commission
  • Gulf States Marine Commission
  • Gulfport, State Port Authority at
  • Hancock County Port Harbor Commission
  • Harrison County Development Commission
  • Hattiesburg-Laurel Airport Authority
  • Health Care Trust Fund
  • Health Insurance Management Boards
  • Health, State Board of
  • Holocaust Commission
  • Home Corporation, Mississippi
  • Home Inspector Regulatory Board
  • Hospital Equipment Facilities Authority, Mississippi
  • Human Services, Department Of
  • Humanities Council, Mississippi
  • Independent Living Council, Statewide
  • Information Technology Services Authority
  • Institutions of Higher Learning
  • Insurance Department
  • Interior Design Advisory Committee
  • Jackson County Port Authority
  • Jail Officer Standards and Training Board
  • Judicial Advisory Study Committee, Mississippi
  • Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee
  • Land, Water, And Timber Resources Board
  • Landscape Architecture Advisory Committee
  • Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training
  • Library Commission, Mississippi
  • Local Government Records Committee
  • Lottery Corporation Board of Directors
  • Marine Resources, Mississippi Commission On
  • Marine Resources, Mississippi Department of
  • Massage Therapy, Mississippi State Board Of
  • Medicaid, Mississippi Division Of
  • Medical Care Advisory Committee
  • Medical Licensure, State Board Of
  • Mental Health, Board Of
  • Motor Vehicle Commission, Mississippi
  • Nursing Home Administrators, Mississippi
  • Nursing, Mississippi Board Of
  • Oil and Gas Board, State
  • Optometry, Mississippi State Board Of
  • Parole Board
  • Pat Harrison Waterway District
  • Peanut Promotion Board
  • Pearl River Basin Development District
  • Pearl River Industrial Commission
  • Pearl River Valley Water Supply District
  • Personnel Board Advisory Council
  • Personnel Board, Mississippi State
  • Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee-Division
  • Pharmacy, Board Of
  • Physical Fitness and Sports, Governor’s Comsn.
  • Physical Therapists, Mississippi State Board Of
  • Polygraph Examiners Board
  • Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance
  • Prison Industries Corporation Board
  • Psychology, Mississippi Board Of
  • Public Defender, Office of the State
  • Public Employees Retirement System of MS
  • Public Procurement Review Board
  • Public Safety, Department of
  • Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control
  • Real Estate Appraiser Licensing and Certification
  • Real Estate Commission, Mississippi
  • Rehabilitation Services, State Department of
  • Remote Sensing &Geographic Information Systems
  • Residential Builders and Remodelers
  • Revenue, State Department of
  • Rice Promotion Board
  • River Parkway Commission, Mississippi
  • Road Protection Commission
  • Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Comsn.
  • Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel
  • Social Workers & Marriage and Family Therapists,
  • Soil and Water Conservation Commission
  • Southeast Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste
  • Southern Growth Policies Board
  • Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission
  • Soybean Promotion Board
  • State Aid Engineer, Office of State Aid Road Const
  • State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early I
  • Tax Appeals Board, State
  • Tenn-Tombigbee Water Development Authority
  • Tobacco Control Advisory Council
  • Tombigbee River Valley Water Mgmt. District
  • Tombigbee Valley Authority
  • Tort Claims Board, Mississippi
  • Transportation Commission Appeals Board
  • Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Board
  • Uniform State Laws, Commission on
  • Veterans Affairs Board
  • Veterans Home Purchase Board
  • Veterans Monument Commission, Mississippi
  • Veterinary Medicine, State Board Of
  • Volunteer Service, Mississippi Commission For
  • War Veterans Memorial Commission
  • Warren County Port Commission
  • Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Commission On
  • Windstorm Mitigation Coordinating Council, Mississippi
  • Windstorm Underwriting Association, Mississippi
  • Women, Mississippi Commission on The Status of
  • Workers Compensation Commission
  • Workforce Investment Board, State
  • Yazoo County Port Commission
  • Yellow Creek-State Inland Port Authority