Readers Digest names Mississippi jurist one of `10 worst judges in America'.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

JACKSON, Miss. _ State Supreme Court Justice Chuck McRae has a legal record that's not nearly as famous as his driving record.

But his on-the-bench sympathy for plaintiffs has pushed business and medical groups to finance the campaign of Gulfport lawyer Jess Dickinson, who, along with Chancery Court Judge Larry Buffington of Collins, is trying to unseat McRae in the Nov. 5 general election.

Now, though, personal and professional foibles in Dickinson's past have emerged in the campaign, which is quickly becoming as nasty as the contest between U.S. Reps. Chip Pickering and Ronnie Shows for Mississippi's 4th Congressional District seat.

As holds true in most political races in this media-dominated age, Dickinson and McRae have fought most of their battles over the airwaves. The themes of each campaign become clear to anyone who watches advertisements during the evening news or listens to them on the way to work.

Dickinson's ads call for a restoration of confidence in Mississippi's judicial system, which he says has become excessively friendly to plaintiff's attorneys.

He also makes known his stands against gun control and crime.

The balance of Dickinson's ads focuses on his character. A music minister for a Southern Baptist church, Dickinson doesn't have to explicitly point out that his idea of fun differs considerably from that of the hard-partying McRae.