Born 1950 in Edinburg, TX

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Nominated by George W. Bush on January 9, 2007, to a seat vacated by Charles W. Pickering, Sr. Confirmed by the Senate on October 24, 2007, and received commission on October 29, 2007.

Education:
Rice University, B.A., 1972
University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1975

Professional Career:

U.S. Army Reserve, 1993-1997
Mississippi National Guard, 1997-2008
Briefing attorney, Hon. John F. Onion, Jr., Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, 1975-1976
Law clerk, Hon. Charles Clark, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1976-1977
Private practice, Jackson, Mississippi, 1977-1989
Adjunct professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 1985-1989, 1998-2020
Visiting professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 2007
Deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1989-1993
Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals, 1995-2006
Candidate for Mississippi Supreme Court, 1996
U.S. Army staff judge advocate, 2005

Other Nominations/Recess Appointments:

Nominated to U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, June 6, 2006; no Senate vote