NATCHEZ — Longtime Natchez resident and attorney Debra Blackwell qualified this week to run for the Sixth District Circuit Court judge’s seat.

Blackwell will run to replace Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson, who announced Monday that he would not seek reelection.

Blackwell qualified for the position the same day.

Blackwell, who has held a position in the legal realm for more than 35 years, said running for a judge’s seat has been her goal for many years.

“I have been with the (district attorney’s) office for 17 years, and I’ve always wanted to be a judge,” she said. “It’s just a position I never thought would be available.”

Prior to her 17 years at the district attorney’s office, Blackwell worked for 10 years in her private practice.

Blackwell said, however, that her legal experience goes back even farther.

“When I was 21 I took a position as a legal secretary,” Blackwell said.

A decade later, Blackwell said she wanted to move from the office to the courtroom.

“I went to law school at 31,” she said. “The lawyer I worked for actually became a chancellor, and I discovered I decided I wanted to be a lawyer, too.”

Blackwell said she finished law school and began her own private practice in 1991, and she has never regretted choosing the legal field for her profession.

“What really drew me to law is how you get to help people,” she said. “I dealt early on with civil court and child custody and now with criminal court, and it’s just really satisfying to be able to help victims.”

That passion, she said, would transfer to her work as a judge, were she to be elected.

“It’ll be different, of course, but I will still be listening to witnesses and victims and finding the legal backing for each case,” she said. “That is just part of my job, listening to victims.”

Blackwell said she feels running for the judgeship is a natural progression of her work in the legal field.

“It has just been in the back of my mind for a long time,” she said. “I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

The deadline to qualify for the election is May 11, a mere nine weeks away. As of Thursday afternoon, no other candidates have qualified to fill Johnson’s seat.

The election for circuit court will be held on Nov. 6, 2018.