Title: In Re:  Commission on Continuing Legal Education
Citation: 89-R-99011-SCT
Docket Number: N/A
State: Mississippi
Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court
Date: March 14, 2024

Serial: 250746 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSISSIPPI No. 89-R-99011-SCT IN RE: COMMISSION ON CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION ORDER Before the Court is the Petition of the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education to Amend Rule 3 of the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education. After due consideration, the Court finds the petition should be denied. IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED that the Petition of the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education to Amend Rule 3 of the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education is hereby denied. SO ORDERED. AGREE: RANDOLPH, C.J., COLEMAN, MAXWELL, BEAM, CHAMBERLIN, ISHEE AND GRIFFIS, JJ. DISAGREE: KITCHENS AND KING, P.JJ. KING, P.J., OBJECTS TO THE ORDER WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN STATEMENT JOINED BY KITCHENS, P.J. Electronic Document Mar 5 2024 11:16:24 89-R-99011-SCT Pages: 4 DIGITAL SIGNATURE Order#: 2507 46 Sig Serial: 100008349 Org: SC Date: 03/05/2024 Dawn H. Beam, Justice IN THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSISSIPPI NO. 89-R-99011-SCT In Re: Commission on Continuing Legal Education KING, PRESIDING JUSTICE, OBJECTING TO THE ORDER WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN STATEMENT: I object to the entry of this order. On April 20, 2023, the Commission on Continuing Legal Education petitioned this Court to amend Rule 3(a) of the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education. That petition provided: COMES NOW the Petitioner, the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education, and petitions this Honorable Court to amend certain Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education to allow Continuing Legal Education credit for participation in programs for attorneys dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion and that such credit be considered as satisfaction of the one-hour requirement of legal ethics/professionalism hour. The Petitioner requests that, as part of the one-hour requirement of legal ethics/professionalism, an attorney be allowed to satisfy this requirement by attending a program on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion. In support hereof, the Petitioner shows the following, to-wit: (1) The American Bar Association adopted new MCLE Model Rules in 2017 which encourage states to implement a diversity, equity and inclusion requirement. In response to this, most states approve diversity, equity and inclusion credits as an ethics credit. To date, Mississippi has approved these topics as general credits. (2) Recent requests from sponsors reviewed by the Commission have highlighted the fact that the diversity, equity and inclusion topics are closely related to professionalism, and, as such, should be included as an ethics/professionalism credit. . . . . (4) The proposed Regulation was approved by unanimous vote of the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education. That Commission consists of nine members, one appointed by each member of this Court. Currently, Rule 3(a) reads: a. Each attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Mississippi shall attend, or complete an approved substitute for attendance, a minimum or twelve (12) actual hours of approved Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) during each successive twelve (12) month period (the “CLE year”) from and after August 1 of each year, of which one hour shall be in the area of legal ethics, professional responsibility, professionalism, malpractice prevention, substance abuse or mental health (the “ethics/professionalism hour”). R & Reguls. for Mandatory Legal Educ. 3(a). The Commission has petitioned this Court to amend Rule 3(a) to read: Each attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Mississippi shall attend, or complete an approved substitute for attendance, a minimum of twelve (12) actual hours of approved Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) during each successive twelve (12) month period (the “CLE year”) from and after August 1 of each year, of which one hour shall be in the area of legal ethics, professional responsibility, professionalism, malpractice prevention, substance abuse, mental health or diversity, equity and inclusion (the “ethics/professionalism hour”). This proposed rule change does not mandate that any lawyer, at any time, take a course on diversity, equity and inclusion. The net effect of the proposed change would be to allow an attorney, who, of his/her own volition, takes a course in diversity, equity, and inclusion, to determine whether he/she wishes to receive general or ethics credit for any course taken on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 2 The words diversity, equity, and inclusion have been the source of great distortion. Some of that distortion has been occasioned by the decisions of various individuals who have seen in its distortion a partisan and personal advantage. Also some of that distortion has been occasioned by individuals who, while knowing better, merely join the bandwagon for fear of being publicly assailed by those using this distortion for partisan and personal advantage. Because I believe that this Court’s order denying the unanimous petition of the Commission on Continuing Legal Education embraces and fuels that distortion, I disagree with the entry of this order and would instead grant the relief requested by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education. KITCHENS, P.J., JOINS THIS SEPARATE WRITTEN STATEMENT. 3