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.
In 1984, Governor Bill Allain appointed him State Commissioner of Public Safety, a position he held for four years.
[5] In April 1999, Roberts resigned form his seat on the Supreme Court to campaign for the office of governor in that year's election.
[4] He sought the Democratic nomination, facing Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove.
[6] 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.