Ceremony for Judge Todd

United States District Court Judge James D. Todd of Jackson celebrated his "semi-retirement" at a ceremony in the federal courthouse in Jackson on Friday. Judge Todd will soon become a senior judge.

This means that I will rarely have any future cases in Judge Todd's court. This will be a new experience for me, as Judge Todd has presided over the vast majority of my cases since my practice became exclusivley devoted to employment law in January of 2001.

I wanted to take a few lines to pay my respects to a career well spent. Though I have never had the chance to get to know Judge Todd on a deep personal level, he has issued dozens of opinions that have affected the lives of my clients significantly. Judge Todd was appointed to the federal bench by my favorite former president. His opinions have always been thoughtful and well reasoned. I haven't won every dispute that I have brought to his court, but I have always been treated with respect and fairness.

Judge Daniel Breen will replace Judge Todd in Jackson. He is a good man and a fine jurist. I look forward to practicing before him, and I wish Judge Todd God's blessings as he has more time to spend with his family and enjoy the fruits of his labor.