The office of lieutenant governor of Mississippi was established by the state's 1817 constitution[1] and it and the governorship were the only popularly elected statewide positions at the time,[2] with both serving two-year terms.

[8] During the Reconstruction era in the early 1870s, Alexander Kelso Davis served as one of the first black lieutenant governors in the country.

[12] Unlike previous holders of the office, he used his appointment power in the Mississippi Senate to strategically place his allies on committees to advance his own political goals.

The case escalated to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which ruled in 1987 that the Senate could award significant legislative powers to the official at its wish.

[27] As the Mississippi Senate has no seniority system, lieutenant governors are relatively unrestricted in appointing committees that suit their personal policy preferences.

[28] The constitution empowers the lieutenant governor to participate in legislative debates and to cast tie-breaking votes both in the Senate and in joint resolutions of both houses of the State Legislature.

[29][30] As presiding officer in the Senate, they rule on points of order, sign all passed bills,[31] and are entitled to serve on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

[22][27] In the event the lieutenant governor is unavailable in the State Senate, the body's president pro tempore assumes their responsibilities there.