{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=E880A6FF-C733-4B1B-96BD-B061F33E0479", "COCHRAN COMMENDS ARTHUR F. SKIPPER JERNIGAN AS MISSISSIPPI ANGEL IN ADOPTION", "2016-09-22", "2016", "2016-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Thad Cochran", "C000567", "www.cochran.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Thad Cochran and Arthur F. \u201cSkipper\u201d Jernigan\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today commended the work of Arthur F. \u201cSkipper\u201d Jernigan of Madison, who was honored in Washington on Wednesday as an \u201cAngel in Adoption\u201d for Mississippi.Jernigan is Cochran\u2019s nominee to be the recipient of the 2016 \u201cAngels in Adoption\u201d award.\u00a0 The \u201cAngels in Adoption\u201d program, which is sponsored by the nonprofit Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI).\u00a0 Jernigan, an attorney with Jernigan Copeland & Anderson, PLLC in Ridgeland, has practiced in the area of adoption law for more than 40 years.\u00a0 He has handled hundreds of adoptions for Mississippi Children\u2019s Home Services, other agencies and private parties.\u201cThe legal process for adoptions can be daunting.\u00a0 Skipper Jernigan deserves commendation for being an advocate for children and families going through this process.\u00a0 His civic service also makes him worthy of recognition,\u201d Cochran said. Jernigan, a former University of Mississippi football standout and Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame inductee, was honored Wednesday night at the annual national gala celebration of advocates for children and family involved in adoption and foster care programs.\r\nIn addition to handling adoption cases, Jernigan has lectured at numerous conferences on adoption law and is recognized as a leading adoption attorney in Mississippi.\u00a0 Additionally, as part of his pro bono service to the Mississippi Bar and the Jackson community, Jernigan has represented indigent parties on behalf of Mission First in the area of adoption law and related matters.Jernigan and his wife, Judy Lynn, are involved in church and civic volunteer activities, including Meals on Wheels and the Billy Brumfield House, an affiliate of Stewpot Ministries in Jackson, which serves the homeless and those with severe financial difficulties.\u00a0 Jernigan has served on the boards of many nonprofit organizations.\u00a0 He has also served nine years on the board of directors for Mississippi Baptist Health Systems and was named chairman of its Board of Trustees in January 2016.The nonprofit, nonpartisan CCAI advocates for increased awareness about children in need of a stable home environment and supports eliminating barriers to adoption.\u00a0 CCAI, which does not receive government funding, was established in 2001 as an outgrowth of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.\u00a0 Cochran and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption for the 114th Congress.\r\n###\r\nLINKS:  \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Mississippi Department of Health/Adoption Information:\u00a0 http://www.mdhs.state.ms.us/family-childrens-services/programs-dfcs/adopt-a-child/   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Mississippi Children\u2019s Home Services:\u00a0 http://www.mchscares.org/  \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Angels in Adoption:\u00a0 http://www.angelsinadoption.org/   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute:\u00a0 http://www.ccainstitute.org", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=E880A6FF-C733-4B1B-96BD-B061F33E0479"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5950901433825493, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}