JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Retired Hinds County Court Judge Melvin V. Priester Sr. died at his Jackson home on Wednesday, October 2. He was 74.

Priester concluded a public service career of nearly 40 years with nine and one-half years of service on the Hinds County Court. He was elected in a runoff to Sub-District 1 in November 2010 and took office on January 4, 2011. He retired on June 3, 2020, due to health issues.

He was a public servant who tried to guide community residents and counsel courtroom defendants so they would not be defined by past mistakes, and he encouraged young people to dream big and seek higher goals. For many years, he sponsored and/or coached football and soccer teams for young boys, and he successfully mentored older students to compete in debates and mock trial events. He coached mock trial teams at Lanier High School, Murrah High School, and Mississippi College School of Law. He also coached little league baseball and earned a black belt in karate, which he later used in teaching karate to inner city children.

Priester’s Family

Priester earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education in 1972 and a Master of Education degree in rehabilitation counseling in 1973 from Boston University. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas Law School in Austin in 1986.

In 1988, he co-founded Priester Law Firm PLLC with attorney Elizabeth Charlene Stimley Priester. The firm continues under the leadership of Ms. Priester and their son, managing partner Melvin Priester Jr.

A younger son, Jonathan Priester, is employed at Google headquarters in New York City and serves on the Board of Trustees for Boston University, his father and mother’s alma mater.