With the time of our state and county elective process coming near I feel as though it is time to reveal to you that which I have in good mind and conscience decided long before this day.
It is right to give my fellow citizens ample time to reflect and nominate someone with good character and trust to the office of Justice Court Judge and to remove my name from that consideration.
I have thought long and hard about this and I did not take my decision lightly. I want all of you to know that removing my name from consideration does not mean that I remove my heart from the interest of the county of Sunflower or the State of Mississippi. If anything I will be a committed citizen of this county and state and see my plight directly connected to those of my fellow citizens.
I have an incredible respect for the past trust you, the voters of Sunflower County, have placed in me and the kindness so many have shown me over the last 13 years and four elections.
Every time I have run you have increased your support of me regardless of my inferiority and that will never be lost in my mind.
I feel hopeful that I, as a common citizen, may still have the same zeal for our community as I always have and that we may find new ways to work together.
I will never forget the debt I owe this county, this state, and this great nation.
I also trust that you will understand that this decision did not come without some great amount of consideration and that you the voter will understand and not disapprove of my final decision.
I have made many mistakes in my life and my 13 years of service in this capacity are not without them. My greatest hope is that history will remember me well and not let my good decisions be overshadowed by the sins of my past. I am indeed a fallible man. In the end, all we have is our word and public life is an incredible reminder of this point.
For those I have helped I hope you know I only followed the law as I interpreted it and for those I have wronged I am truly sorry.
I had the very enjoyable experience of meeting United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia several years ago.
He told me that if I never made a decision I did not agree with I was doing this job wrong. It is a difficult place to adhere to rules you did not make and do not agree with, but it is the job in which I was tasked.
I have spent many sleepless nights taking into consideration the gravity of the decisions I have made and had to make and how they have affected real people in everyday life. I have indeed made decisions I did not like. Some will forever be burned into my mind.
I could easily leave this as it is in my farewell to public life but feel the need to reflect on the state of our affairs as far as a sitting Judge might without overstepping the cannons that guide the judiciary.
I would be remiss if I did not make admission to that the current state of political discourse and what some might call factionalism played a definite role in my decision. The need we have to vote a political party rather than for the common good has become the scourge in which Washington warned us.
“They are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.” – George Washington
I urge you to look at each man and woman that seeks public office not for political affiliation but for the individual that they are, and I encourage the elected officials to regard first, the common good, and last any political affiliation. I fear that just as the words of Washington this will fall on deaf ears but it needed to be said nonetheless. I call on both the voter and the official. Do your duty.
I truly believe that regardless of many views of the day that this, the year 2019, is the best time to be alive in history. Our grandfathers and grandmothers could barely dream of the comforts and wealth we are afforded. Whatever race, creed, or color you are things are simply not as bad as some might have you believe. There is more opportunity than ever. I am not here to say things are fair and even because they are not but there is more parity than ever and we should never forget those that came before us that gave us these opportunities. Complaining about your circumstances to masses that do not care will not help your plight. Do what your forefathers and mothers did. Overcome. I am reminded of the often used quote, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
I am honored to have served it this capacity and look forward to serving for the coming year during this election process. Please become involved. Vote. Care. This great experiment that is America was set up so that we could have a revolution every four years without a drop of blood. It is not perfect but it is much better than any alternative as long as you the voter are informed and express your knowledge with good conscience in the voting booth.
I am an incredibly blessed man. Orphaned and adopted to Bubba and Ann Dow Shurden. Born in America. A beautiful family of my own. Leslie Davis Shurden has given me incredible daughters, Mary Stafford Shurden and Anna Walton Shurden that will each change the world in amazing ways. I’ve never had a real job. I’ve had many successful and unsuccessful businesses. I am simply blessed by God and country. I am so looking forward to enjoying the bounty of our freedoms as a citizen along with all of you. I love you all. Thank you for everything.
With Warmest Regards,
Honorable Stafford E Shurden
Justice Court Judge, Sunflower County, Mississippi
