JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV– Two judges from the Mississippi Supreme Court have recently been nominated to serve on the federal bench in northern Mississippi.
On Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump revealed his selection of two Mississippi Supreme Court Justices through Truth Social for positions within the federal court system. Justices James Maxwell and Robert Chamberlin have served on the state's top court since 2016 and 2017, respectively. They have both held significant roles in the Mississippi judicial system for many years; Trump's nominations will place them in lifelong positions on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Chamberlin initially worked as a municipal court judge from 1991 until 1999. In 1999, he was elected to the Mississippi State Senate. In 2006, Governor Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) named him to the 17th Circuit Court. He ran for and secured a position on the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2016. Prior to his 2009 appointment to the Mississippi Court of Appeals by Barbour, Maxwell held the role of a federal prosecutor. Governor Phil Bryant (R-Miss.) later appointed Maxwell to the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2016.
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) gave their complete backing to the nomination.
"I appreciate President Donald Trump for proposing two capable and seasoned judges for the U.S. District Court," Wicker stated.
"I am confident that Justice Maxwell and Justice Chamberlin possess a conservative approach to the law and a strong understanding of legal principles that will benefit our state and country," Hyde-Smith stated.
Presidents have frequently selected judges from the state's appellate courts for positions in the federal judiciary. In 2007, President George BushnominatedFormer Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.