Governor Tate Reeves announced on July 27, 2026, that he has appointed DeSoto County Circuit Judge Celeste Embrey Wilson of Southaven to the Mississippi Supreme Court, naming her to Northern District 3, Place 1, according to the governor’s newsroom post.
Appointment details and vacancy
The governor’s office posted the announcement Monday evening; Mississippi Today reported Wilson will begin serving Aug. 1 and will hold the seat until a special election determines who will serve the remainder of the term.
The vacancy opened after Justice Robert Chamberlin left the state high court following his confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The governor’s statement did not include the full appointment letter or a published order in the post reviewed.
Mississippi Today reported the appointment brings the high court’s active membership to eight of nine seats while another vacancy from a separate federal appointment remains unfilled.
Wilson’s judicial background
Wilson has served as a circuit court judge in northwestern Mississippi since February 2017, after sitting on the DeSoto County bench and working earlier as an assistant district attorney in the 17th Circuit.
Public records and local reporting show long service in county courts and that she has presided over criminal and appellate matters in DeSoto County.
Her biography appears in county and state court listings; those records and Mississippi Today list her undergraduate work at Delta State University and law school at the University of Memphis. Reporters covering the announcement cited the governor’s release and a statement from Wilson expressing gratitude for the appointment.
What comes next
State officials typically schedule a swearing-in and complete administrative steps to place a new justice on the court’s docket; Mississippi Today reported Aug. 1 as Wilson’s start date, but the governor’s post did not include formal paperwork, a swearing-in notice from the court clerk, or the special-election schedule.
A special election will determine who serves the remainder of the term; the date and filing deadlines are governed by state law and clerk procedures, and those specifics were not published in the materials reviewed.
Reporters will watch for a published appointment order or clerk notices that formally assign Wilson to cases, and observers said legal and political groups are likely to respond as further details emerge.
Sources reviewed
- Office of Governor Tate Reeves (.gov): Governor Reeves Appoints Celeste Embrey Wilson to Mississippi Supreme Court
- Mississippi Today: Gov. Reeves appoints DeSoto County Judge Celeste Wilson to state Supreme Court
- Magnolia Tribune: Governor appoints Celeste Embrey Wilson to Mississippi Supreme Court
- The Clarion-Ledger: Gov. Tate Reeves appoints MS Supreme Court justice from Southaven
- SuperTalk Mississippi Media: Governor appoints Celeste Wilson to temporarily fill Supreme Court vacancy
- tippahnews.com: Gov. Reeves appoints Celeste Embrey Wilson to Mississippi Supreme Court
- DeSoto Times-Tribune: Gov. Reeves appoints Judge Celeste Wilson to MS Supreme Court
- Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Reeves appoints Desoto judge to state Supreme Court
- Office of Governor Tate Reeves: Governor Reeves Appoints Celeste Embrey Wilson to Mississippi Supreme Court
- Mississippi Today: Gov. Reeves appoints DeSoto County Judge Celeste Wilson to state Supreme Court
- Office of U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith: Senate approves Mississippi nominations to federal bench
- DeSoto County official website: 2026 Judicial & Federal Candidate Listing | DeSoto County