Section 9-1-36 - Office allowance for circuit judges, chancellors and certain staff; procedure to employ certain staff members; title to tangible property; reports; adoption of rules and regulations(1) Each circuit judge and chancellor shall receive an office operating allowance for the expenses of operating the office of the judge, including retaining a law clerk, legal research, stenographic help, stationery, stamps, furniture, office equipment, telephone, office rent and other items and expenditures necessary and incident to maintaining the office of judge which may include expenses to travel out of state once per state fiscal year for continuing legal education classes and or seminars if approved by the Chief Justice. The allowance shall be paid only to the extent of actual expenses incurred by the judge as itemized and certified by the judge to the Supreme Court in the amounts set forth in this subsection; however, the judge may expend sums in excess thereof from the compensation otherwise provided for his office. From and after July 1, 2023, the office operating allowance under this subsection shall be Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) per annum.
(2) In addition to the amounts provided for in subsection (1), there is created a separate office allowance fund for the purpose of providing support staff to judges. This fund shall be managed by the Administrative Office of Courts.(3) Each judge who desires to employ support staff must have each candidate approved by the Administrative Office of Courts before the positions may be filled. The Administrative Office of Courts shall not approve any hire which does not first require the expenditure of the funds in the support staff fund for compensation of any of the support staff before expenditure is authorized of county funds for that purpose. Upon approval by the Administrative Office of Courts, the judge or judges may appoint the employees to the position or positions, and each employee so appointed will work at the will and pleasure of the judge or judges who appointed him but will be employees of the Administrative Office of Courts. Upon approval by the Administrative Office of Courts, the appointment of any support staff shall be evidenced by the entry of an order on the minutes of the court. When support staff is appointed jointly by two (2) or more judges, the order setting forth any appointment shall be entered on the minutes of each participating court.(4) Support staff shall receive compensation pursuant to personnel policies established by the Administrative Office of Courts . Each judge shall be allotted the amount of One Hundred Thirty Thousand Dollars ($130,000.00) per fiscal year for all support staff approved by the Administrative Office of Courts. The Administrative Office of Courts may approve expenditures from the fund for additional equipment for support staff appointed pursuant to this section in any year in which the allocation per judge is sufficient to meet the equipment expense after provision for the compensation of the support staff.
(5) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the meaning ascribed in this subsection unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (a) "Judges" means circuit judges and chancellors, or any combination thereof.(b) "Support staff" means court administrators, law clerks, legal research assistants or secretaries, or any combination thereof, but shall not mean school attendance officers.(c) "Compensation" means the gross salary plus all amounts paid for benefits or otherwise as a result of employment or as required by employment; however, only salary earned for services rendered shall be reported and credited for Public Employees' Retirement System purposes. Amounts paid for benefits or otherwise, including reimbursement for travel expenses, shall not be reported or credited for retirement purposes.(d) "Law clerk" means a clerk hired to assist a judge or judges who has a law degree or who is a full-time law student who is making satisfactory progress at an accredited law school.(6) Title to all tangible property, excepting stamps, stationery and minor expendable office supplies, procured with funds authorized by this section, shall be and forever remain in the State of Mississippi to be used by the circuit judge or chancellor during the term of his office and thereafter by his successors.(7) Any circuit judge or chancellor who did not have a primary office provided by the county on March 1, 1988, shall be allowed an additional Seven Thousand Dollars ($7,000.00) per annum to defray the actual expenses incurred by the judge or chancellor in maintaining an office; however, any circuit judge or chancellor who had a primary office provided by the county on March 1, 1988, and who vacated the office space after that date for a legitimate reason, as determined by the Department of Finance and Administration, shall be allowed the additional office expense allowance provided under this subsection. The county in which a circuit judge or chancellor sits is authorized to provide funds from any available source to assist in defraying the actual expenses to maintain an office.(8) The Supreme Court, through the Administrative Office of Courts, shall submit to the Department of Finance and Administration the itemized and certified expenses for office operating allowances that are directed to the court pursuant to this section.(9) The Supreme Court, through the Administrative Office of Courts, shall have the power to adopt rules and regulations regarding the administration of the office operating allowance authorized pursuant to this section.Codes, 1942, § 4175.6; Laws, 1972, ch. 398, §§ 1, 2, 3; Laws, 1978, ch. 531, § 1; Laws, 1988, ch. 528, § 1; Laws, 1990, ch. 485, § 1; Laws, 1991, ch. 373, § 1; Laws, 1993, ch. 518, § 42; Laws, 1994, ch. 506, § 1; Laws, 1996, ch. 414, § 1; Laws, 1999, ch. 524, § 1; Laws, 2004, ch. 534, § 1; Laws, 2007, ch. 557, § 3; brought forward without change, Laws, 2010, ch. 561, § 4, eff. 7/1/2010.Amended by Laws, 2024, ch. 480, HB 1315,§ 3, eff. 5/8/2024.Amended by Laws, 2023, ch. 506, HB 1216,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2023.