Large Voter Turnout in Lafayette County Helped Elect Little as Chancery Judge

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

About 45 percent of registered Lafayette County voters came out to the polls Tuesday for the runoff election. Photo by Alyssa Schnugg.

About 45 percent of Lafayette County’s registered voters took the time Tuesday to cast their votes in a runoff election, a large turnout for a non-general election for the LOU community.

That equated to about 14,000 voters who helped elect Lawrence “Larry” Little as the new 18th District Chancery Court judge.

The 18th Chancery Court is located in the Lafayette County Chancery Building and hears cases from Benton, Calhoun, Marshall, Tippah and Lafayette counties.

Lawrence “Larry” Little

Little garnered about 55 percent of the votes from all five counties. After absentee ballots were added to precinct totals, Little earned 20,112 votes against his opponent, Sarah J. Liddy, a Holly Springs attorney, who earned 45 percent, or 16,661 votes.

Little won Lafayette County by a landslide, earning 9,763 votes to Liddy’s 4,767 votes; however, Liddy won Marshall County with 5,885 votes to Little’s 3,997 votes.

Little has been an attorney for 40 years. He served as District Attorney for the Third Circuit of the state of Mississippi for 10 years and as the Oxford Municipal Judge for 19 years. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law and a state-approved mediator.

“It would appear we have won the vote and I want to thank all the people who worked so hard and my family who helped me today, and I look forward to being a Chancery judge,” said Little Tuesday night at the Lafayette County Courthouse where he awaited results with his family.

Little said he looks forward to working with Liddy, who handles family law cases in Marshall County.

“I want to congratulate her on a good campaign,” he said.

Liddy said running for the office of Chancery Court judge has been an “incredible experience.”

Sarah J. Liddy

“The support and encouragement I received from my family and friends, both old and new, was overwhelming,” she said in a text message Tuesday night. “I will never forget all the wonderful events I attended, churches where I worshiped and new friends I made. Best wishes to Larry Little in his new position and to Judge Glenn Alderson in his retirement.”

After current-Judge Glenn Alderson announced he was retiring and would not be seeking re-election, Little, Liddy and Oxford attorney Carnelia Fondren ran for the seat. In the general election on Nov. 6, Little earned about 42 percent of the votes, while Liddy earned about 33 percent. Fondren garnered about 25 percent of the votes, leaving Little and Liddy to head to the runoff Tuesday.

The Lafayette County Chancery Court is often referred to as the “family court,” as it holds jurisdiction over matters like family law, sanity hearings, wills, child custody and adoptions.