WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today celebrated the confirmation of Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Cory T. Wilson to be a U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Wilson is the 200^th federal judge to be confirmed to a lifetime appointment by the Senate since President Donald J. Trump took office in January 2017. His confirmation is also the last remaining federal circuit court vacancy.

“Cory Wilson is a highly-qualified, conservative-minded judge who will be a credit to the nation and to his native Mississippi. As the 200th confirmed federal judge during the Trump administration, Judge Wilson appropriately represents the generational transformation of our courts during the past four years,” Wicker said. “Given Judge Wilson’s credentials, intellect, and respect for the rule of law, I am confident that he will serve the Fifth Circuit and our nation well as a circuit judge.”

“Judge Cory Wilson will serve on the Fifth Circuit with honor, dedication, and distinction,” Hyde-Smith said. “I’ve known him personally for years, and I’m proud that his confirmation represents a pivotal point in President Trump’s work to ensure there are more smart, conservative jurists in the federal judiciary.”

Wicker and Hyde-Smith introduced Wilson at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in May to consider his nomination for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. President Trump selected Wilson for the Fifth Circuit in March.

Wilson will assume the seat vacated by E. Grady Jolly, who took senior status in 2017. Wilson, a native of Moss Point, recently received the highest rating of “well qualified” from the American Bar Association to serve on the Fifth Circuit.

Wilson earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and law degree from Yale Law School, where he served on the Yale Law Journal. He served as a law clerk to Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Emmett Ripley Cox, in addition to being a White House Fellow in the U.S. Department of Defense.

Prior to his appointment to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Wilson served in the Mississippi House of Representatives and held senior positions within the offices of the Mississippi State Treasurer and Mississippi Secretary of State. Wilson is also a former adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law.