Carlton earns degree

Court of Appeals Judge Virginia Carlton recently graduated from the U.S. Army War College. Carlton, who holds the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, earned a master of strategic studies degree.

Carlton has served as a JAG officer in the Army for 22 years. She is now assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve judiciary as a Reserve judge. In fulfilling Army Reserve judicial duty and drill requirements, last year she assisted the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals with 22 criminal courts-martial cases on appeal and one court-martial trial.

Carlton pursued the degree for the past two years through a distance learning curriculum. She juggled the course during available time in the evenings, weekends and holidays, and she spent her two-week annual training time during the past two summers at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., completing the resident phases of curriculum.

As Carlton was completing her studies, her husband was preparing for deployment to Kosovo. Lt. Col. Scott Carlton, M.D., is a family physician and serves as a medical officer in the Mississippi National Guard. He deployed Aug. 17 to provide medical support for on-going peace-keeping operations and forces in Kosovo.

Carlton’s hometown is Columbia, and she resides in Jackson to be closer to the court. She has served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals since January 2007.