Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Senate approves Mississippi nominations to federal bench
By William Moore
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After a delay of nearly two months, two Mississippi Supreme Court justices have been approved to become federal judges.
The U.S. Senate approved Robert P. Chamberlin, of Hernando, and James Maxwell, of Oxford, Tuesday afternoon by identical 51-46 partisan votes.
"It was completely along party lines," said Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond. "It was all Republicans (voting in favor). I don't think they got any Democrat votes."
The Chamberlin vote happened before lunch Tuesday, while Maxwell did not get his official nod until after 5 p.m. central time.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) said she was pleased that both men confirmed to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
"(Chamberlin's) record on the bench in Mississippi as well as his community service make him very qualified to serve on the federal judiciary, which is why President Trump nominated him," Hyde-Smith said. "I congratulate him and wish him every success in continuing to serve the people of Mississippi."
The junior Senator also praised Maxwell career in law.
"As he has done on the Mississippi Supreme Court and throughout his career as a jurist, James will continue to exemplify a dedication to careful, principled jurisprudence and to upholding the rule of law," Hyde-Smith said. "I believe he will serve the Northern District of Mississippi and our nation with distinction."
Trump nominated Chamberlain and Maxwell on Sept. 2 to fill the vacancies left in the Oxford and Aberdeen divisions when Judge Michael Mills took senior status in November 2021 and when Judge Sharion Aycock took senior status in April 2025. That left the district that covers the 37 counties on the north half of the state with a single active federal judge, Debra Brown of Greenville, and three senior status judges.
But the two judicial nominations, as well as nominations for U.S. Attorney in both north and south Mississippi, were held up for weeks as political leverage between Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R) and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R).
The four Mississippi nominees had been on the Senate Judiciary Committee's agenda since Oct. 1. But it was not until late November before Wicker and Tillis "bridged the gap" in their disagreement and the Mississippians were able to move out of committee. Those votes also followed party lines.