D. Neil Harris, Sr

Professional career

Education

• University of Mississippi, gaining admission to the Mississippi bar — J.D. (1982)
• University of Southern Mississippi — B.A.

Additional information

• Harris was first elected to the Chancery Court and has been re-elected multiple times, including in 2010 and 2014, with his term expiring in 2020
• On December 5, 2013, the Mississippi Supreme Court publicly reprimanded him and fined him $2,500 for failing to recuse himself from contempt proceedings and preventing defendants from presenting a defense
• In 2010, Judge Harris discovered that some parties in child-support and paternity cases had not been properly served, and that process servers had falsified returns
• Before joining the bench, he practiced law alongside his son, David N. Harris
• He presided over numerous cases in the Sixteenth Chancery Court District, including child-support and paternity proceedings
• He initiated criminal contempt proceedings against the process servers, their employer, and notaries involved, imposing monetary sanctions, requiring apology letters, and ordering temporary incarceration until compliance
• Judge D. Neil Harris Sr. serves on the 16th Chancery District Court of Mississippi, which handles domestic issues, estates, commitments of mentally disabled individuals, and equity appeals (Jackson County Chancery Court)
• Judge Harris has faced disciplinary action