NATCHEZ — The local Republican Party has declined to certify Adams County Justice Court Judge Charlie Vess as a candidate for the city municipal judge’s race.

The party made its decision final Monday afternoon.

Vess had qualified as a Republican for the race, but — despite serving as a justice court judge for more than two decades — is not an attorney or a member of the state bar association, which the city’s special charter requires for municipal judge candidates.

Vess said Tuesday he was allowed to make his case to a committee of party representatives. The erstwhile candidate has previously argued that state statutes — which allow for justice court judges to serve in municipal courts in cities with populations fewer than 20,000 — should trump the special charter.

The party ruling was based on a statute — MS Code 21-23-21 — which states that when statutes and special charters conflict, the special charter should control, Vess said.

“I felt I met the statutory requirement when I qualified,” he said. “I think it is an undue burden on myself and the citizens to require the municipal judge to be an attorney.”

Adams County Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Stedman said the committee met twice to decide the issue.

“It wasn’t an easy decision necessarily, because everybody likes Judge Vess,” Stedman said. The committee met twice and just did not feel like there was any way we could circumvent the city charter — that was the only reason we could not certify him. We are always delighted when someone wants to run as a Republican.

“Unfortunately in this case, the city charter is very specific, and we felt we had what was adequate documentation in the statutes and attorney general’s opinions that gave the charter precedence over what (Vess) thought would prevail, and based on that the committee decided what it did.

Despite the decision going against his favor, Vess said he respected the committee’s call and said the interview was “very professional.”

“I didn’t feel I was going into a hostile environment,” he said. “Just about everyone who was there has come before me in the justice court for various legal matters, and I said to them, ‘We are friends going in, and we will be friends going out.’”

In making the case to the committee that he should be certified, Vess said his two-and-a-half decades as a justice court judge, 800 hours of legal training through the Mississippi judicial college and 300 hours of advanced domestic violence training through federal and state agencies should be considered.

“Ultimately, the codes are in conflict, and I think that needs to be changed in the future,” he said.

Vess said he is considering what he may do going forward, including the possibility of appealing to the board of aldermen and asking them to accept him as a judicial candidate based on his experience as a justice court judge.

He may also arrange meetings with the two other candidates in the race — Carmen Brooks and Lisa Jordan Dale, who are both running as Democrats — and discuss his concerns about city court and how it can be improved.

“I will see if they can get some common ground with me,” he said.

Vess said he could also consider running a write-in campaign as a last resort.

Election Commission President Larry Gardner said the commission has not received any official word about the matter yet.

Because Vess would have been the only Republican in the race, the commission would not have to receive his certification or non-certification until the general election, Gardner said.