Meet the Candidate
Rhonda C. Cooper, Esq.
Nearly four decades of legal practice. A career built not on ambition for the bench, but on service to the families who depend on it.
Professional Photo Coming Soon
38 Years in the Making
Some people run for judge because they want the title. Rhonda C. Cooper is running because she has spent nearly forty years doing the work — and she knows this court deserves someone who has.
A graduate of Millsaps College with a degree in Business Administration and the University of Alabama School of Law, Rhonda built her career in the exact areas Chancery Court governs: estate planning and administration, domestic relations, real property, and contract negotiations. She didn't choose these practice areas by accident. She chose them because they are where the law meets life — where a judge's decision determines whether a family stays together, whether a widow keeps her home, whether a child is protected.
But Rhonda's career has never been confined to a courtroom. She has dedicated her life to advocacy in education, community engagement, and public service — providing pro bono legal services to those who need it most, particularly seniors and families who otherwise could not afford representation. The families who can't afford an attorney? Rhonda has been their attorney anyway.
A resident of Ridgeland, Mississippi, she is a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison, where she serves in the hospitality ministry. She is a charter member of the Madison County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and was in the inaugural class of Leadership Madison County.
She doesn't just know this district. She has shaped it.
“Every family who walks into Chancery Court deserves a judge who is prepared, who listens, and who treats them with the dignity their case demands. That is my promise to this community.”
A Career That Speaks for Itself
Click any milestone to explore the journey that prepared Rhonda C. Cooper for the bench.
2026
The Candidate
Qualified for Chancery Judge, 11th District, Subdistrict 2
After nearly four decades of preparation — not in title, but in practice — Rhonda C. Cooper officially qualified as a candidate for the 11th Chancery Court, Subdistrict 2. She isn't running because she wants a robe. She's running because after forty years of walking families through the most consequential moments of their lives, she knows what the bench demands. And she knows this district deserves someone who has earned it. Not by waiting. By working.
Recognized. Respected. Ready.
A record of excellence acknowledged by Mississippi's legal community and beyond.
Leader in Law
Mississippi Business Journal, 2022
Koch Foundation Lecturer
Charles Koch Foundation Education Lecture, MVSU, 2018
Two-Time Creative Awardee
JSU Creative Awards for Faculty & Staff
Rooted Where It Matters
There is a difference between a candidate who campaigns in a community and one who has built a life in it. Rhonda didn't arrive in Madison County for an election. She helped launch its institutions. She mentored its students. She served its families before anyone was watching — and long before anyone was voting.
From the inaugural class of Leadership Madison County to chartering the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, from lecturing at universities to serving in her church's hospitality ministry — Rhonda's community involvement isn't a campaign talking point. It's a matter of record.
She supports causes that reflect her values: Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, the Magnolia Bar Foundation, and Catholic Charities. She gives — of her time, her expertise, and her heart — because that is who she is. Not who she becomes in an election year.
Professional & Community
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Charter Member, Madison County Alumnae Chapter
Leadership Madison County
Inaugural Class
MS Women's Lawyers Association
Member
Metro Jackson Women Lawyers Association
Member
Mary Church Terrell Literary Club, Inc.
Member
Oral History Association
Member
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Hospitality Ministry, Madison, MS
Causes She Supports
Mississippi Public Broadcasting
MS Alzheimer's Association
Magnolia Bar Foundation
Catholic Charities, Inc.
Ready to Stand With Rhonda?
Join the movement for fair, accountable justice across Leake and Madison counties.