STARKVILLE– Presiding justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court George C. Carlson Jr. of Batesville is the 2012 selection for Mississippi State’s Distinguished Jurist Award and will be honored Thursday at the university, his alma mater.
The annual recognition is sponsored by the political science and public administration department and its student Pre-Law Society.

“Justice Carlson is one of the most highly respected legal minds in the state of Mississippi,” said Whit Waide, political science instructor and society faculty adviser. “His years of public service, his many professional contributions and his impeccable character make him an outstanding choice for this award.”

Selections for the honor are made by a committee of political science faculty and Pre-Law Society members.
Carlson was appointed to the Supreme Court by former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove in 2001 to fill a vacancy before being elected to serve an eight-year term. He became a presiding justice for the court and will retire at the end of this term.
Prior to service on the state’s highest court, Carlson was in private practice 1972-82 before being elected in 1983 as circuit judge being re-elected without opposition in 1989, 1990, 1994, and 1998.

Named a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation in 1995, Carlson also is a member of the American Bar and American Judges associations, as well as the Lamar Order of the University of Mississippi School of Law.

In addition to a 1969 MSU history degree, he holds a1972 law degree from Ole Miss.
A 1964 graduate of South Panola High School, he has continued to serve as play-by-play announcer for the nationally recognized Tiger football program.