WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Judiciary Committee today reported the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Southwick was nominated by the President in January to fill the slot that has been vacant on the panel since the completion of Judge Charles W. Pickering's recess appointment on December 8, 2004.
Judge Southwick is strongly supported by Senators Cochran and Lott of Mississippi. His nomination will now be considered by the full Senate.
“Leslie Southwick’s legal experience and dedication to equal justice make him unquestionably qualified to fill this position,” said Senator Cochran. “I am pleased that the Judiciary has acknowledged the merits of this nominee and reported the nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation. The Federal Judiciary will be enhanced by his prudence, fair-mindedness, and understanding of the law. I hope the full Senate will move speedily to confirm this exceptional nominee.”
Senator Lott said: “This is a victory for fairness. Judge Southwick is a principled man and deserves – as did the two highly respected nominees before him – to sit on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Southwick is a man of faith and a strict constructionist who will interpret the law as written and not attempt to legislate from the bench.”
Southwick, who currently works as an adjunct professor at the Mississippi College School of Law, served from 1995 until 2006 on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Southwick has also served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps with the U.S. Army Reserves and as an instructor at both the Mississippi National Guard and the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The jurisdiction of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals covers Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
