Supreme Court Administrator and Counsel Hubbard T. Saunders IV died on October 18

Supreme Court Administrator and Counsel Hubbard T. Saunders IV died on October 18

October 21, 2026

Mississippi Supreme Court Administrator and Counsel Hubbard T. Saunders IV of Jackson died on October 18. He was 75.

A celebration of life service is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at 11 a.m. at Fondren Presbyterian Church, 3220 Old Canton Road in Jackson. Visitation will follow the service.

Saunders, known to everyone as Hubby, was Court Administrator and Counsel to the Supreme Court for 15 years, since March 2011. He worked for the Court for almost 28 years, starting in January 1999 as Editor of Opinions. He became Central Legal Staff Director and Deputy Court Administrator in November 2005. He was a lawyer for almost 51 years.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph said, “From an operations standpoint for the Court, he was the go-to person. The loss of his institutional knowledge is immeasurable. Everyone at the Court is going to miss him.”

Presiding Justice Leslie D. King said, “Hubby Saunders’ sudden death was indeed a significant loss for the judicial system. As a member of the Court, I found his assistance to be invaluable. As an institution, the Court’s consistency, as expressed by history and tradition, are important to its operation. Hubby knew and understood the Court’s history and traditions and their value. Having worked with him for many years, I received the benefit of and appreciated his knowledge of the Court’s history and traditions. Hubby was also an excellent lawyer. The Court was well served and greatly aided by his legal knowledge and skills and his knowledge of Court history and tradition, all of which were very important in his role as Court Administrator.”

Central Legal Director Rob Nations, speaking on behalf of court administration, said, “Hubby provided steady leadership to this place for as long as many of us remember. Beneath the surface of his stoic leadership lay a great depth of kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, wisdom, and wit. He will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of working with him.”

Saunders started work early; his emails often chimed in inboxes at 6:30 a.m. He seldom took vacation.

Former Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said, “He was a tireless worker whose only interest was serving the Court and the people of Mississippi to ensure the fair, efficient, and independent administration of justice.” He was “loyal almost to a fault. He never took sides or did anything that may be perceived as political or otherwise violating the trust of the Court.”

Saunders’ first job at the Court was as Editor of Opinions.

Waller said, “He was of deep intellect, possessing an extraordinary grasp of the English language, profound legal reasoning abilities and unsurpassed knowledge of our trial and appellate legal system. There was not a single complex issue that came before the Court that he could not provide well-thought-out recommendations for the justices to consider.”

Court of Appeals Judge Deborah A. McDonald got to know Saunders in the 1980s, when he was counsel opposite in U.S. District Court. She said that he was “always a gentleman and the consummate professional.”

Saunders was honored with the Mississippi Bar’s Distinguished Service Award for 1987-88. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation in 2018.

Saunders was born in Greenwood and grew up in Hollandale. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mississippi in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1975. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi scholastic honorary as an undergraduate. During law school, he was Research Editor, Assistant Editor, and Editor-in-Chief of the Mississippi Law Journal.

His first job at a law firm was as a first-year associate at Daniel, Coker, Horton, Bell & Dukes in Jackson. From 1977 to 1981, he served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. He worked in the federal litigation division, representing state agencies and officials in civil rights actions, including employment discrimination cases. That work included trials in U.S. District Court, arguing appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and briefing other cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Mississippi Supreme Court.

He returned to private law practice in 1981 with the firm then known as Crosthwait, Terney, Noble & Eastland and remained with the firm and its successors through 1998. He was managing partner for a year, and was a member of the firm’s executive committee for several years. His litigation work focused on representing state, county, or municipal officials in lawsuits including employment discrimination cases, civil rights actions and voting rights actions. He represented committees of the Mississippi Legislature in redistricting of Mississippi’s congressional and legislative districts in the 1980s and 1990s. He served as special counsel for the Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State as members of the Mississippi State Board of Election Commissioners, alongside the Attorney General’s Office, in its defense of judicial redistricting lawsuits during the 1980s.

He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Rachel Saunders of Fort Wayne, Indiana; step-sons David W. Cook (Jean) of Clinton and Joseph M. Cook (Donna) of Carthage; step-daughter Emily Vardaman of Brandon; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Suzanne Saunders of Jackson; sister Mary Hollinger Saunders of Greenwood; and parents, Hubbard T. Saunders III and Mary Roberts Saunders of Hollandale.

####