Ashley Ogden Not Running Against Jeff Weill for Hinds County Circuit Court Judge
There is a rumor circulating that Jackson lawyer Ashley Ogden has decided not to run for Hinds County Circuit Court Judge. In an article as recent as two weeks ago, Ogden was quoted as saying that he intended to run for the seat being vacated by the retirement of Judge Swan Yerger:
Jackson lawyer Ashley Ogden, who ran against Yerger four years ago, told The Clarion-Ledger in January he is preparing another run.
"I have an interest in Jackson's crime problem being solved, and that's why I ran in the first place," he said then.
But now comes word that Ogden will not run, effectively handing the seat to Jackson City Councilman Jeff Weill.
Weill is the only person who has qualified to run for the seat. The qualifying deadline is May 7.
There will be a lot of people disappointed by Ogden’s telling people for four years that he is running and then backing out at the last minute. As of yesterday, Ogden even still had his campaign web site running on the Internet. Some will argue that this kept other candidates out of the race.
Ogden’s decision, however, is not a big surprise to many Jackson lawyers. Ogden’s law firm occupies a large building on Capital Street and has numerous employees, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Smith. The future job prospects of Ogden’s employees in a down legal market could have weighed on his decision to not run.
As for Weill, I have been impressed with him on the City Council and expect him to be a good judge.
In other Hinds County Circuit Court races, Judges Green and Kidd are not expected to have opponents. Judge Malcolm Harrison, who was recently appointed by Governor Barbour, is expected to be opposed by Bill Gowan.
I can confirm it. Saw him ten days ago and he told me about it. I'm sure someone will run against Weill. A month out before the deadline? No one is going to let that seat go uncontested although he will be the favorite and heavily at that.