Although it breaks only a little new ground, one decision on today's Mississippi Supreme Court handdown list is notable for at least a couple of reasons.

First, Poppenheimer v. Estate of Coyle, which came to the Court on interlocutory appeal, establishes rather decisively that the Mississippi Tort Claims Act does not extend sovereign immunity to volunteer firefighters. Rather than being an instrumentality of the county where it operated, the volunteer fire department was viewed as an independent contractor. And if a volunteer firefighter is an independent contractor instead of a government employee, then he doesn't enjoy MTCA immunity.

But the case is also noteworthy for the cast of characters involved. One of the attorneys for the unsuccessful appellant was Josiah Coleman, who is running for the Supreme Court seat currently held by Presiding Justice George Carlson. And coincidentally, Justice Carlson was the presiding justice on the case's three-justice panel.