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S. B. No. 2376 *SS36/R379* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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To: Judiciary, Division A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Barrett
SENATE BILL NO. 2376
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-31-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
RESTORE THE LEGAL ASSISTANT REMOVED FROM THE FOURTEENTH CIRCUIT 2
COURT DISTRICT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. Section 25-31-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 5
amended as follows: 6
25-31-5. (1) The following number of full-time legal 7
assistants are authorized in the following circuit court 8
districts: 9
(a) First Circuit Court District.............. ten (10) 10
legal assistants. 11
(b) Second Circuit Court District.......... eleven (11) 12
legal assistants. 13
(c) Third Circuit Court District................six (6) 14
legal assistants. 15
(d) Fourth Circuit Court District...............six (6) 16
legal assistants. 17
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(e) Fifth Circuit Court District...............five (5) 18
legal assistants. 19
(f) Sixth Circuit Court District............. three (3) 20
legal assistants. 21
(g) Seventh Circuit Court District....... fourteen (14) 22
legal assistants. 23
(h) Eighth Circuit Court District.............three (3) 24
legal assistants. 25
(i) Ninth Circuit Court District..............three (3) 26
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Ninth Circuit 27
Court District shall have four (4) legal assistants. 28
(j) Tenth Circuit Court District.............. five (5) 29
legal assistants. 30
(k) Eleventh Circuit Court District............five (5) 31
legal assistants. 32
(l) Twelfth Circuit Court District.............five (5) 33
legal assistants. 34
(m) Thirteenth Circuit Court District..........four (4) 35
legal assistants. 36
(n) Fourteenth Circuit Court District.......... six (6) 37
legal assistants. * * * 38
(o) Fifteenth Circuit Court District......... seven (7) 39
legal assistants. 40
(p) Sixteenth Circuit Court District........... six (6) 41
legal assistants. 42
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(q) Seventeenth Circuit Court District........ four (4) 43
legal assistants. 44
(r) Eighteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 45
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Eighteenth 46
Circuit Court District shall have four (4) legal assistants. 47
(s) Nineteenth Circuit Court District........ seven (7) 48
legal assistants. 49
(t) Twentieth Circuit Court District......... seven (7) 50
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Twentieth 51
Circuit Court District shall have ten (10) legal assistants. 52
(u) Twenty-first Circuit Court District...... seven (7) 53
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Twenty-first 54
Circuit Court District shall have eight (8) legal assistants. 55
(v) Twenty-second Circuit Court District..... four (4) 56
legal assistants. 57
(w) Twenty-third Circuit Court District...... three (3) 58
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, this paragraph (w) 59
shall stand repealed. 60
(2) In addition to any legal assistants authorized pursuant 61
to subsection (1) of this section, the following number of 62
full-time legal assistants are authorized (i) in the following 63
circuit court districts if funds are appropriated by the 64
Legislature to adequately fund the salaries, expenses and fringe 65
benefits of such legal assistants, or (ii) in any of the following 66
circuit court districts in which the board of supervisors of one 67
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or more of the counties in a circuit court district adopts a 68
resolution to pay all of the salaries, supplemental pay, expenses 69
and fringe benefits of legal assistants authorized in such 70
district pursuant to this subsection: 71
(a) First Circuit Court District................two (2) 72
legal assistants. 73
(b) Second Circuit Court District...............two (2) 74
legal assistants. 75
(c) Third Circuit Court District................two (2) 76
legal assistants. 77
(d) Fourth Circuit Court District...............two (2) 78
legal assistants. 79
(e) Fifth Circuit Court District................two (2) 80
legal assistants. 81
(f) Sixth Circuit Court District................two (2) 82
legal assistants. 83
(g) Seventh Circuit Court District..............two (2) 84
legal assistants. 85
(h) Eighth Circuit Court District...............two (2) 86
legal assistants. 87
(i) Ninth Circuit Court District................two (2) 88
legal assistants. 89
(j) Tenth Circuit Court District................two (2) 90
legal assistants. 91
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(k) Eleventh Circuit Court District.............two (2) 92
legal assistants. 93
(l) Twelfth Circuit Court District..............two (2) 94
legal assistants. 95
(m) Thirteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 96
legal assistants. 97
(n) Fourteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 98
legal assistants. 99
(o) Fifteenth Circuit Court District............two (2) 100
legal assistants. 101
(p) Sixteenth Circuit Court District............two (2) 102
legal assistants. 103
(q) Seventeenth Circuit Court District..........two (2) 104
legal assistants. 105
(r) Eighteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 106
legal assistants. 107
(s) Nineteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 108
legal assistants. 109
(t) Twentieth Circuit Court District...........five (5) 110
legal assistants. 111
(u) Twenty-first Circuit Court District.........two (2) 112
legal assistants. 113
(v) Twenty-second Circuit Court District........two (2) 114
legal assistants. From and after January 1, 2031, this paragraph 115
(v) shall stand repealed. 116
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(w) Twenty-third Circuit Court District........two (2) 117
legal assistants. From and after January 1, 2027, this paragraph 118
(w) shall stand repealed. 119
(3) The board of supervisors of any county may pay all or a 120
part of the salary, supplemental pay, expenses and fringe benefits 121
of any district attorney or legal assistant authorized in the 122
circuit court district to which such county belongs pursuant to 123
this section. 124
(4) The district attorney of any circuit court district may 125
employ additional legal assistants or criminal investigators, or 126
both, without regard to any limitation on the number of legal 127
assistants authorized in this section or criminal investigators 128
authorized by other provisions of law to the extent that the 129
district attorney's office receives funds from any source. Any 130
source shall include, but is not limited to, office generated 131
funds, funds from a county, a combination of counties, a 132
municipality, a combination of municipalities, federal funds, 133
private grants or foundations, or by means of an Interlocal 134
Cooperative Agreement authorized by Section 17-13-1 which may be 135
expended for those positions in an amount sufficient to pay all of 136
the salary, supplemental pay, expenses and fringe benefits of the 137
positions. Such funds may either be paid out of district attorney 138
accounts, transferred by the district attorney to the Department 139
of Finance and Administration or to one or more of the separate 140
counties comprising the circuit court district, and the funds 141
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ST: Legal assistants; restore the assistant
removed from the Fourteenth Circuit Court
District.
shall be disbursed to such employees in the same manner as 142
state-funded criminal investigators and full-time legal 143
assistants. The district attorney shall report to the board of 144
supervisors of each county comprising the circuit court district 145
the amount and source of the supplemental salary, expenses and 146
fringe benefits, and the board in each county shall spread the 147
same on its minutes. The district attorney shall also report such 148
information to the Department of Finance and Administration which 149
shall make such information available to the Legislative Budget 150
Office. 151
(5) The district attorney shall be authorized to assign the 152
duties of a legal assistant regardless of the source of funding 153
for such legal assistants. 154
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 155
and after July 1, 2026. 156