United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (in case citations, S.D. Miss.) is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Natchez, Meridian, and Jackson.

United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
(S.D. Miss.)
LocationJackson
More locations
Appeals toFifth Circuit
EstablishedJune 18, 1838
Judges6
Chief JudgeDaniel Porter Jordan III
Officers of the court
U.S. AttorneyD. Michael Hurst Jr.
U.S. MarshalMark B. Shepherd
www.mssd.uscourts.gov

Appeals from cases brought in the Southern District of Mississippi are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. D. Michael Hurst Jr. was confirmed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi on October 3, 2017.

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction (Counties): Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Issaquena, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, and Yazoo.

Current judges

As of April 30, 2019:

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
18 Chief Judge Daniel Porter Jordan III Jackson 1964 2006–present 2017–present — G.W. Bush
12 District Judge Henry Travillion Wingate Jackson 1947 1985–present 2003–2010 — Reagan
19 District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden Gulfport 1966 2007–present — — G.W. Bush
20 District Judge Carlton W. Reeves Jackson 1964 2010–present — — Obama
21 District Judge vacant — — — — — —
22 District Judge vacant — — — — — —
10 Senior Judge William Henry Barbour Jr. Jackson 1941 1983–2006 1989–1996 2006–present Reagan
11 Senior Judge Tom Stewart Lee Jackson 1941 1984–2006 1996–2003 2006–present Reagan
13 Senior Judge Walter J. Gex III Gulfport 1939 1986–2004 — 2004–present Reagan
15 Senior Judge David C. Bramlette Natchez 1939 1991–2006 — 2006–present G.H.W. Bush
16 Senior Judge Louis Guirola Jr. Gulfport 1951 2004–2018 2010–2017 2018–present G.W. Bush
17 Senior Judge Keith Starrett Hattiesburg 1951 2004–2019 — 2019–present G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination
5 Louis Guirola Jr. Senior status March 23, 2018 Taylor B. McNeel July 2, 2020
3 Keith Starrett April 30, 2019 Kristi Haskins Johnson May 4, 2020

Former judges
# Judge State Born–died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 George Adams MS 1784–1844 1838[Note 1][Note 2] — — Operation of law resignation
2 Samuel J. Gholson MS 1808–1883 1839–1861[Note 2] — — Van Buren resignation
3 Robert Andrews Hill MS 1811–1900 1866–1891[Note 2] — — A. Johnson retirement
4 Henry Clay Niles MS 1850–1918 1891–1918[Note 3][Note 2] — — B. Harrison death
5 Edwin R. Holmes MS 1878–1961 1918–1936[Note 4] — — Wilson elevation to 5th Cir.
6 Sidney Carr Mize MS 1888–1965 1937–1965 1961–1962 — F. Roosevelt death
7 William Harold Cox MS 1901–1988 1961–1982 1962–1971 1982–1988 Kennedy death
8 Dan Monroe Russell Jr. MS 1913–2011 1965–1983 1971–1982 1983–2011 L. Johnson death
9 Walter Nixon MS 1928–present 1968–1989 1982–1989 — L. Johnson impeachment and conviction
14 Charles W. Pickering MS 1937–present 1990–2004 — — G.H.W. Bush elevation to 5th Cir.
  1. Reassigned from the District of Mississippi.
  2. Jointly appointed to the Northern and the Southern Districts of Mississippi.
  3. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 10, 1891, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 11, 1892, and received commission the same day.
  4. From 1918 to 1929, Judge Holmes was jointly appointed to the Northern and the Southern Districts of Mississippi.

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

See also

Footnotes

    Further reading
    • David M. Hargrove, Mississippi's Federal Courts: A History. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2019.

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