Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Trump nominates two state Supreme Court justices for federal positions
By William Moore
President Donald Trump announced via social media Tuesday that he was nominating two sitting Mississippi Supreme Court justices to fill a pair of openings in federal court.
Gaining presidential nods are justices Robert Chamberlain and James Maxwell. Both will have to go through a lengthy confirmation process before they can sit on the benches for the U.S. District Court of North Mississippi.
In a release Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) praised the choices.
“I commend President Trump for selecting two very qualified judicial nominees to serve on the U.S. District Court bench, and look forward to their swift confirmation,” Hyde-Smith said. “I believe Justice Maxwell and Justice Chamberlin have a conservative judicial philosophy and knowledge of the law that will serve our state and nation well.”
Chamberlin of Hernando was elected in a runoff in 2016 and took the bench in 2017. Prior to that, he served 12 years as a circuit court judge for the 17th District. He also served in the state Senate for five years, starting in 1999. His legislative stint ended when Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him as circuit judge.
Maxwell of Oxford was appointed to the Supreme Court in January 2016 by Gov. Phil Bryant. He has been elected twice to full terms since then. He previously served as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Maxwell is not a stranger to the federal court. He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Oxford.
District Judge Michael Mills took senior status in November 2021. District Judge Sharion Aycock did the same earlier this year, leaving a second slot open. While Mills still hears a full load of cases, his slot has officially remained vacant for nearly five years.
Former President Joe Biden nominated District Attorney Scott Colom of Columbus to fill Mills' seat, and he went through all of the background checks necessary for the job. Even though Mississippi’s senior Sen. Roger Wicker gave his blessing, Hyde-Smith derailed the nomination by refusing to give Colom a “blue slip,” a long-standing Senate process that gives senators power to block nominations from their home state.