Cory T. Wilson

Cory Todd Wilson (born August 8, 1970) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist serving as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a former nominee to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and former Judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Early life and education.
Wilson was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration, graduating "summa cum laude", from the University of Mississippi and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, where he served on the "Yale Law Journal".
Legal career.
Upon graduation from law school, Wilson served as a law clerk to Judge Emmett Ripley Cox of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He also served as a White House Fellow in the Department of Defense as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld from 2005 to 2006. Prior to his elected service, Wilson served as Senior Advisor and Counsel in the Mississippi State Treasurer's Office and as Deputy Secretary of State in the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office.
Wilson has been an intermittent member of the Federalist Society, including while at Yale Law School from 1992 to 1995, and then joining the Mississippi chapter from 1996 to 2005 and again since 2019.
Mississippi House of Representatives.
Wilson served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2016 to 2019.
State judicial service.
In December 2018, Wilson was appointed to the Mississippi Court of Appeals to the seat vacated by Kenny Griffis, who was elevated to the Mississippi Supreme Court. He was sworn into office on February 15, 2019.
Federal judicial service.
Withdrawn nomination to district court.
On August 28, 2019, Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Wilson to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. On October 15, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Wilson to the seat vacated by Judge Louis Guirola Jr., who took senior status on March 23, 2018. On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. 
On January 6, 2020, his renomination was sent to the Senate. A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on January 8, 2020. During his confirmation hearing, Wilson's past comments on social media about President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were scrutinized, as well as his previous stances as a state legislator regarding abortion, LGBT rights, the Affordable Care Act, and voting rights. On May 4, 2020, his nomination was withdrawn, as he was nominated to be a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit instead.
Court of Appeals service.
On March 30, 2020, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Wilson to serve as a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. On May 4, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Wilson to the seat vacated by Judge E. Grady Jolly, who assumed senior status on October 3, 2017. On May 18, 2020, the American Bar Association rated Wilson as "well qualified," its highest rating. On May 20, 2020, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 11, 2020, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report Wilson's nomination to the Senate floor by a party-line 12–10 vote. On June 22, 2020, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a vote of 51–43. On June 24, 2020, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 52–48 vote. He received his judicial commission on July 3, 2020.
Wilson's confirmation marked the confirmation of the 200th Article III federal judge nominated by Donald Trump.