EducationColumbia University School of Law — J.D., 1992

Notable personal detailsJames Clifton (“Cliff”) Johnson II is a Mississippi attorney and law professor who has served as Director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law since 2014. He previously worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Mississippi and practiced in private litigation in Jackson, Mississippi, including as a founding partner at Pigott & Johnson, P.A. He earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in political science from Mississippi College. In 2026, he filed as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District.