--- title: "Leslie Southwick | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leslie-southwick" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Leslie Southwick U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2007-present - Visiting professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 2007-present - U.S. Army staff judge advocate, 2005-present - Adjunct professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 1998-present - Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals, 1995-2006 - In 1994, Southwick was elected as one of the first ten judges of the newly created Mississippi Court of Appeals, where he served until 2006, including five years as presiding judge. - Deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1989-1993 - Adjunct professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 1985-1989 - Practiced law privately in Jackson, Mississippi, with the firm Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes from 1977 to 1989, becoming a partner in 1983 - Law clerk, Hon. Charles Clark, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1976-1977 - Following law school, he clerked for Judge John F. Onion, Jr. of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1975–1976) and for Judge Charles Clark of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (1976–1977) - Briefing attorney, Hon. John F. Onion, Jr., Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, 1975-1976 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - He then held the role of Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, supervising the Federal Programs Branch and the Office of Consumer Litigation - Judge Southwick’s career reflects a combination of private practice, government service, military duty, and judicial experience at both state and federal levels, making him a prominent figure in the Fifth Circuit judiciary ### Education - University of Texas School of Law in — J.D. (1975) - Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Rice University in 1972 ### Additional information - Candidate for Mississippi Supreme Court, 1996-present - Southwick served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1992 to 1997 and later in the Mississippi National Guard from 1997 to 2008. - He received his commission on October 29, 2007, filling the seat vacated by Judge Charles W. Pickering, Sr.. - President George W. Bush first nominated Southwick to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006, and after a resubmission in 2007, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 24, 2007, by a 59-38 vote. - Commissioned as a Judge Advocate General officer and held the role of deputy staff judge advocate and staff judge advocate for the 155th Brigade Combat Team, including deployment to Iraq in 2005 at age 54. - U.S. Army Reserve, 1993-1997 - He also ran for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1996, finishing third in the general election. - Private practice, Jackson, MS, 1977-1989 - Active in Republican politics, supporting George H. W. Bush’s Senate campaign in 1970 and presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1988, leading efforts in Mississippi. - Leslie Harburd Southwick was born in 1950 in Edinburg, Texas, to Dr. Lloyd M. Southwick and Ruth Tarpley Southwick. - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - The American Bar Association rated him “Unanimously Well Qualified” for the position. - During his tenure, he participated in approximately 7,000 opinions, authoring about 850. - He has also participated in Federalist Society events, though this does not imply endorsement by the organization. - Birth place: Edinburg, TX ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392651) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392651) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392651) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3047/leslie-southwick/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3047/leslie-southwick/) - [Wikidata: Leslie H. Southwick](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6530860) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leslie-southwick", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leslie-southwick", "name": "Leslie Southwick | KnowJudges", "description": "Leslie Southwick, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 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