| James L. Roberts Jr. | |
| Office: | Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi |
| Term Start: | 1992 |
| Term End: | 1999 |
| Predecessor: | James L. Robertson |
| Successor: | Kay B. Cobb |
| Birth Name: | James Lamar Roberts Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 8 June 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Pontotoc, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | University of Mississippi School of Law (JD) |
| Profession: | Judge |
James Lamar Roberts Jr. (born June 8, 1945)[1] is an American retired jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1992 to 1999.[2]
Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, Roberts received a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1971,[3] and served as the prosecuting attorney for Pontotoc County, Mississippi from 1972 to 1983. In 1984, Governor Bill Allain appointed him State Commissioner of Public Safety, a position he held for four years.
Roberts became a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi in 1992.[4] In April 1999, Roberts resigned form his seat on the Supreme Court to campaign for the office of governor in that year's election.[5] He sought the Democratic nomination, facing Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove. Roberts did little to build a gubernatorial platform and spent most of his time attacking Musgrove for his use of state vehicles for campaign activities. Musgrove won the August 3 Democratic primary, taking 57 percent of the vote to Roberts' 26 percent.[6]
In January 2019, Roberts suffered a stroke. He tendered his resignation from his circuit court judgeship effective February 29, 2020.[5]