Contact: Maridith Geuder
Leslie Southwick, a federal judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, will be guest speaker at Mississippi State Friday [Sept. 17] for an 11 a.m. public event that coincides with Constitution Day. The event in 100 McCool Hall is coordinated by the Department of Political Science.
Born in Texas, Southwick was educated at Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law. Following a 1975-76 clerkship with the Texas Supreme Court, he became a clerk for Judge Charles Clark of Jackson, Miss., then also a justice with the Fifth Circuit.
After practicing as a private attorney, he became Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Civil Division, leading a team of 125 attorneys defending suits brought against the United States.
In 1994, Southwick was elected one of the first 10 judges of the Mississippi Court of Appeals. He took a leave of absence when he was nominated for a lifetime position in the federal judiciary, and in 2005 served as judge advocate general for the 155th Brigade Combat Team of the Mississippi Army National Guard in Iraq.
In 2007, Southwick was nominated by then President George W. Bush to fill a seat on the Fifth Circuit. He was confirmed in October 2007.
Celebrated each year nationwide, Constitution Day marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution by the founding fathers on Sept. 17, 1787.
For more information, telephone Whit Waide at 662-325-7860.