[11/15/04] Mostly cloudy weather is predicted for Tuesday, when voters from Warren and surrounding counties will decide a runoff election for a Supreme Court seat.

Incumbent James E. Graves Jr. and Samac S. Richardson, a circuit court judge for Madison and Rankin counties, are the candidates.

They made the runoff by receiving the top two vote totals in the Nov. 2 general election, when four candidates were on the ballot for the post. The runoff was necessary because no candidate won a majority.

Graves received 47.8 percent of votes cast, and 30.4 percent went to Richardson. The two candidates who did not make the runoff were William L. “Bill” Skinner of Jackson, who received 16.3 percent of the votes, and Ceola James of Vicksburg, who received 5.3 percent.

Supreme Court justices serve eight-year terms.

Graves was appointed by former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and has served as a justice since 2001.

Richardson was appointed to the circuit court by Gov. Kirk Fordice.

The race was for one of two Supreme Court seats up for election this year from the Central District. In the other, Justice William L. Waller defeated challenger “Richard” Ray Grindstaff.

The Central District encompasses 22 counties in Central Mississippi, including Claiborne, Sharkey and Issaquena counties. Graves also led the race in those three area counties.

The Supreme Court runoff election will be the only race on ballots Tuesday.

Three contested and three uncontested races for county-district positions and one contested race each for U.S. Representative and president were decided by Nov. 2 balloting.