Edwin L. Pittman
Edwin Lloyd Pittman (born January 2, 1935) is an American jurist and politician who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1989-2001 and Chief Justice from 2001-2004. He also served as the State's Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Treasurer. Pittman reached the rank of Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard. Early life and education. Pittman was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1935. He received his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1957 and his J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1960. Political  career. Pittman was first elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1964 and was reelected in 1968 from Forest County. In 1976, he was elected as the State's Treasurer. In 1980, he was elected as Mississippi's Secretary of State. In 1984, he was elected Attorney General. Pittman ran for the 1987 Democratic nomination for governor, finishing fifth. Judicial career. Pittman was first elected to the State Supreme Court in 1988 and reelected in 1996. Notable rulings. In 2000, Justice Pittman ruled that the courts are not in the position of determining the state flag. He wrote, "In this  case, the NAACP failed to offer any proof that the flying of the state flag deprived any citizen of a constitutionally protected right." Family. Pittman is married to Virginia Lund Pittman and they are the parents of seven children.