Fifth Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick has announced he is taking senior status, opening another seat on the bench for President Donald Trump to fill.
Judge Southwick has served on the court for 18 years. He was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rice University in 1972 and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1975.
Following law school, he clerked for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge John Onion and then Fifth Circuit Judge Charles Clark.
Judge Southwick had a private practice in Jackson, Mississippi, before entering public service.
In 1989, he served as deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice civil division. In 1994, he was elected to the Mississippi Court of Appeals before his appointment to the federal bench.
From 2004 to 2006, he was on a leave of absence from the state appellate court. In 2005, he served in Iraq as a staff judge advocate for the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann partner David Coale said he expects Judge Southwick to participate actively until his successor is appointed.
“He is a voice for moderation and compromise on a court where a lot of very smart people have very strong opinions,” Coale said.
Dykema’s Chris Kratovil said, “There is no finer gentleman on the federal bench than Fifth Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick.”
“When lawyers talk about a judge having a ‘good judicial temperament,’ they are, even if they do not realize it, envisioning Judge Southwick, who has always been civil, respectful and courteous to every lawyer and litigant appearing before him,” Kratovil said. “Judge Southwick represents the finest traditions of the federal bench and the Fifth Circuit, as he has been a fair-minded and even-tempered judge who renders thoughtful, well-reasoned opinions.”
He added that while Judge Southwick is considered judicially conservative, he “avoids partisan rancor, does not swing an ideological hatchet and presents as moderate in tone and temperament.”
“Judge Southwick never let his black robe and lifetime tenure go to his head, and I admire his humility and decency. I am glad he is taking senior status rather than retiring altogether, as the entire Fifth Circuit benefits from Judge Southwick’s good will and wonderful temperament,” Kratovil said.
Norton Rose Fulbright’s head of appellate, Anne Johnson, said she thinks Judge Southwick will be remembered for his “thoughtful, scholarly approach, his commitment to precedent, and his independent streak.”
President Trump appointed six judges to the Fifth Circuit in his first term. In his second term, he has nominated Judge Anna St. John to succeed Judge Kurt Engelhardt, who has also announced plans to take senior status. Judge St. John is currently awaiting Senate confirmation.