Lafayette Chancery Judge Larry Little Will Not Seek Re-election

Lafayette County will see an open contest for its chancery bench after Judge Larry Little, a fixture of the local legal community for decades, said Jan. 8 he will not run for re-election. Little, an attorney with more than 45 years of legal experience who previously served 10 years as a district attorney and 19 years as Oxford municipal judge, said he will remain on the bench through the end of his current term on Dec. 31, 2026.

Little’s announcement affects the 18th Chancery District, which includes Benton, Calhoun, Marshall, Tippah and Lafayette counties. Because the chancery judge represents multiple counties, his decision carries implications beyond Lafayette, shaping the field of candidates who will seek to serve a broader regional docket and the legal communities across the district.

The timing of Little’s decision overlaps with the county qualifying window that opened Jan. 2 for various judicial positions. Prospective candidates have until Feb. 2 to qualify, a deadline that will determine who appears on the ballot for the 2026 judicial cycle. Local officials and court administrators will manage the transition and the logistics of any primary or general election that follows, while Little continues to preside over pending matters through the remainder of his term.

For residents, the most immediate impacts are continuity and stability in chancery court operations. Little’s commitment to finish his term offers predictability for cases already underway and for court staff who have worked with him. At the same time, an open-seat race invites debate over the court’s future priorities, including how the chancery bench addresses equity matters that touch families and estates across multiple counties.

The enlargement of the candidate field will place a premium on experience, regional knowledge and community trust. The 18th Chancery District’s next judge will inherit responsibilities that affect Lafayette County households as well as neighboring jurisdictions, underscoring the importance of voter attention to judicial elections that are often decided at the local level.

Little expressed gratitude for his colleagues and court staff as he made his decision. As the community prepares for a contested seat in 2026, the process will test local engagement in judicial selection and the mechanisms that sustain public confidence in the rule of law.