U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Fifth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Glen H. Davidson | Reagan (R) | 1985 |
| Michael P. Mills | Bush (R) | 2001 |
| Sharion Aycock | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| Debra Marie Brown | Obama (D) | 2013 |
| Robert Porter Chamberlin | Trump (R) | 2025 |
| James Donald Maxwell II | Trump (R) | 2025 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| W. Allen Pepper Jr. | Clinton (D) | 1999–2012 |
| Neal Brooks Biggers Jr. | Reagan (R) | 1984–2023 |
| Lyonel Thomas Senter Jr. | Carter (D) | 1979–2011 |
| William Colbert Keady | Johnson (D) | 1968–1989 |
| Orma Rinehart Smith | Johnson (D) | 1968–1982 |
| Claude Feemster Clayton | Eisenhower (R) | 1958–1967 |
| Elijah Allen Cox | Coolidge (R) | 1929–1974 |
| Edwin Ruthven Holmes | Wilson (D) | 1918–1929 |
| Henry Clay Niles | Harrison (R) | 1892–1918 |
| Robert Andrews Hill | Johnson (D) | 1866–1891 |
| Samuel Jameson Gholson | Buren (D) | 1839–1861 |
| George Adams | (reassignment) (N) | 1838–1838 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1838.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.