Bill Waller on Families & Children

Follows "Billy Graham rule": never alone with a woman

After the Republican Women's Candidate Forum in Jackson, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. told Mississippi Today that he would not be alone with a woman who isn't his wife, even in a personal or professional context.

"I just think it's common sense. I just think in this day and time, appearances are important and transparency's important, and people need to have the comfort of what's going on in government between employees and people. And there's a lot of social issues out there about that. My goal is to not make it an issue so that everyone's comfortable with the surroundings and we can go about our business," Waller said.

2015: Let same-sex couples divorce

On November 5, 2015, in a 5-4 ruling, the Mississippi Supreme Court remanded the case to the Third District Chancery Court in light of Obergefell. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' requested relief was consistent with Obergefell and thus ruled in favor of Czekala-Chatham. Forming the five-justice majority were Justices Waller, Randolph, Lamar, Chandler, and Pierce. Justices Coleman and Dickinson each joined each other's dissents, disagreeing with Obergefell and questioning the decision's constitutional authority. Justice Pierce, joined by Chandler, wrote a separate concurrence accusing Justices Coleman and Dickinson of violating their oath of office by refusing to follow a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court.