New Mississippi Supreme Court Building Floods

May 9, 2008

The Mississippi Supreme Court is rescheduling cases after the new Gartin Justice Building was flooded on all four floors.

The building houses the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, among others.

Judges and their staff moved into the building in February after nearly a decade of planning and more than five years of construction.

It was flooded late May 6 or early May 7, said court spokeswoman Beverly Kraft. The building is still open, but offices are operating on a limited basis.

Kraft said an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the flooding, which appears to have started on the fourth floor.

“Due to the risk of danger to the safety of the public and staff posed by this emergency event, as well as the cleanup process, all offices located in the Gartin Building will operate on a restricted basis until further order of the Court,” Chief Justice James W. Smith Jr. said in an order.

Kraft said oral arguments scheduled for May 7 and May 8 before the Court of Appeals are being rescheduled. Oral arguments scheduled for May 13 before the Supreme Court also will be rescheduled.