Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott have recommended to President George W. Bush that he nominate U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pickering to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Pickering has been a federal judge in the Southern District of Mississippi since October 2, 1990. Prior to that he practiced law in Laurel for 29 years.

He was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party in the 1970s, and he served two terms in the Mississippi State Senate. He has also served as President of the Mississippi Baptist Convention. He is a member of the board of directors of the Federal Judges Association.

Judge Pickering earned his BA degree from the University of Mississippi and a juris doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, graduating with the highest grades in his class.

Cochran said, "The judicial experience and leadership qualities of Judge Charles Pickering make him a well qualified candidate for the Court of Appeals."

"I have known Judge Pickering for many years, and I know he will certainly be an excellent nominee for this important post in our national judicial system," Senator Lott said. "Throughout his distinguished career, Judge Pickering has shown himself to be a man of both professional and personal integrity. He is a fine jurist, who I can proudly recommend to our new Administration."