President Donald Trump has nominated two Mississippi Supreme Court Justices to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Justice Robert Chamberlin, who has Northwest Mississippi roots, and Justice James Maxwell, of Oxford, were named by President Trump this week.
The President’s nominations will first go to the Senate Judiciary Committee that will investigate each nominee’s background and qualifications. During that time the committee, through its "blue slip" procedure, seeks the assessment of home state Senators regarding whether they approve having the committee consider and take action on the nominee.
"I want to thank President Donald Trump for his nomination of two solid and experienced jurists for the U.S. District Court. I wholeheartedly support Justice Chamberlin and Justice Maxwell and look forward to their speedy confirmation."
The responsibility for making these appointments is shared by the President and the Senate, who has final approval on Federal Judge appointments.
Pursuant to the Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President nominates persons to fill federal judgeships, with the appointment of each nominee also requiring Senate confirmation.
Robert Chamberlin
Chamberlin currently serves as an Associate Justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court, for Dist. 3, Place 1 Justices
Justice Robert P. Chamberlin of Hernando joined the Mississippi Supreme Court on Jan. 3, 2017. Justice Chamberlin was elected in a runoff election on Nov. 29, 2016, to an open seat on the Supreme Court.
Justice Chamberlin served for 12 years as a circuit judge of the 17th Circuit District. Then Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him to the 17th Circuit bench on Nov. 24, 2004. The district includes DeSoto, Panola, Tallahatchie, Tate and Yalobusha counties. In 2006 he co founded the 17th Circuit Drug Court with then-Circuit Judge Ann Lamar. He served as chairman and vice chairman of the Conference of Circuit Judges.
He was elected to the Mississippi Senate in 1999, and served Senate District 1 of DeSoto County for five years. He was vice chairman of the Universities and Colleges Committee from 2000 to 2003 as well as chairman of the Elections Committee in 2004. He was selected as Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Association in 2003. While serving in the Senate, he attended by invitation the National Security Seminar held at the United States Army War College.
He served as Municipal Court Judge for the City of Hernando from 1991 to 1999. He served as Municipal Prosecutor for the City of Horn Lake in 1992. He also served as a Special Master in Chancery Court. Shortly after he graduated from law school, he went to work for what was to become the Austin Law Firm in Hernando and later formed Chamberlin Nowak, P.C. He was in private law practice for 14 years, and served as attorney for the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors for four years. He is a member of the American Inns of Court.
Justice Chamberlin was born April 6, 1965. He graduated from Hernando High School in 1983. He attended Northwest Mississippi Junior College and later graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1990.
Justice Chamberlin is a lifelong resident of north Mississippi and is married to the former Kim White. They have one son, William. They attend the United Methodist Church in Hernando.
James D. Maxwell
Maxwell currently serves as an Associate Justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court, for Dist. 3, Place 2
Justice James D. Maxwell II of Oxford was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to the Mississippi Supreme Court on January 1, 2016. He was later elected to an eight-year term in November 2016 and re-elected in 2024.
Justice Maxwell previously served as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, initially appointed by Governor Haley Barbour on February 2, 2009, then elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
Justice Maxwell earned his undergraduate degree and juris doctor from the University of Mississippi. He practiced civil law in Jackson before returning to Oxford to serve as Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi.
As a federal prosecutor, he represented the United States Department of Justice in prosecutions and jury trials of public corruption, white collar fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, and gang and immigration crimes. He also handled appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He served as Corporate Fraud Coordinator and helped lead the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He received various commendations from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Justice Maxwell has been elected to a variety of legal positions. He is a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar, the Lafayette County Bar Association, and Tri-County Young Lawyers. He is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and has also served on the Board of Bar Commissioners, and the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association. He is a graduate of Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi program and was previously named “Top 40 Under 40” by the Mississippi Business Journal.
Justice Maxwell frequently lectures on appellate and trial advocacy, legal writing, and Mississippi’s judicial system. He is also an avid outdoorsman and has coached youth baseball and football. He and his wife Mindy have two children, Trip and Mae Covington. The Maxwells are members of Pinelake Church in Oxford.
