WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today welcomed President Trump’s nominations of Judge Cory T. Wilson of Flora to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Kristi H. Johnson of Brandon to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi.

“I am pleased that President Trump has selected Judge Cory Wilson for the Fifth Circuit,” Wicker said. “Judge Wilson’s performance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year confirmed what we already knew – he is a smart, thoughtful, conservative jurist who will follow the rule of law. Given his academic and professional achievements, I am sure that Judge Wilson would serve the court well.”

“The elevation of Judge Cory Wilson’s nomination to the Circuit Court of Appeals reflects President Trump’s confidence in Cory’s conservative judicial philosophy, legal knowledge, academic and public service. I’ve known Judge Wilson for many years. He is well qualified to serve on this court, and I will do everything I can to promote his confirmation,” Hyde-Smith said.

President Trump had previously nominated Wilson to serve as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi. In January, Wicker and Hyde-Smith introduced Wilson to the Senate Judiciary Committee where his nomination was still pending confirmation.

A native of Moss Point, Wilson earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and law degree from Yale University, 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. A lawyer by profession, Wilson is also a former adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law.

Johnson, a native of Brandon, is currently the Solicitor General of Mississippi.

“Kristi Johnson is an excellent choice for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi,” Wicker said. “A native Mississippian and current Solicitor General of Mississippi, she is a well-respected litigator who has the qualifications, intellect, and experience necessary to serve with distinction. And, if confirmed, she would be the first woman to serve as a jurist for the Southern District, bringing an important perspective to the bench.”

"Kristi Johnson’s legal and academic career indicate she will make an excellent U.S. District Court Judge. It was a pleasure to recommend a well-qualified Mississippian to be the first woman judge to serve in the Southern District,” Hyde-Smith said. “I look forward to Kristi’s confirmation process and having her confirmed as soon as possible.”

Johnson earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and a law degree from Mississippi College, where she served as executive editor of the Mississippi College Law Review. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sharion Aycock with the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Mississippi and for the Honorable Leslie H. Southwick with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Johnson has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Mississippi, an adjunct professor at Mississippi College and as Treasurer and Secretary of the Mississippi Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.