[05/11/02]Five candidates have qualified for the post of Warren County Court judge. The deadline to qualify for Nov. 5 elections was 5 p.m. Friday.

It is the only race for judicial offices serving Warren County in which there will be opposition.

Robert C. Arledge, William Bost Jr., Judge Gerald Hosemann, Warren County Prosecutor Johnny Price and Clarence A. Whitaker are candidates for the Nov. 5 election.

Hosemann, elected four times without an opponent, is now suspended from the bench and facing a Hinds County indictment on an aggravated assault charge, which he has denied. A tentative trial date is May 28.

Other judicial offices serving Warren County that have elections scheduled for Nov. 5 are the District 2 Mississippi Court of Appeals judge, both District 9 Circuit Court judges and the District 9 Subdistrict 3 Chancery Court judge.

Court of Appeals judge Tyree Irving of Jackson, Circuit Court judges Isadore Patrick and Frank G. Vollor, both of Vicksburg, and Chancery Court judge Vicki Roach Barnes of Vicksburg are all running unopposed.

A special election to fill the remainder of the current unexpired term of the Supreme Court District 2 Position 2 judgeship is also set. A new state law now pending approval from the U.S. Justice Department, however, allows appointed justices to complete unexpired terms in some cases and could make that election unnecessary.

Justice James E. Graves Jr. of Jackson and current District 9 Chancery Court judge Ceola James of Vicksburg are candidates.

Judicial elections are non-partisan, meaning there will be no party primaries.

Primaries for the congressional races are June 4. Qualifying deadline for those seats was March 1.