More on Southwick

No surprise, another highly qualified nominee with the experience, credentials, temperament, and intelligence to serve as a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge...and while most people praise him some still attack: "Bush selection for federal appeals court post under fire."

The opposition from Jaribu Hill, president of the Magnolia Bar Association, is not unexpected or really on the merits of Southwick. Hill and his organization opposed Pickering and Wallace as well. When they opposed now confirmed federal district judge Dan Jordan, Hill explained the basis of their opposition to the Clarion Ledger, "'a number of our members know him or have been in cases with him. We don't have any beef with him.' But despite the praise, Hill said the Magnolia Bar will oppose Jordan's nomination because the court needs more diversity. 'We have one African-American federal judge in a state that is almost 40 percent African American,' Hill said." In other words, they opposed him not because of his qualification; they opposed him because he was not African American.

In addition to nominating Southwick to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the White House also announced the renomination of Halil Suleyman Ozerden to the U.S. District Court in Mississippi. Ozerden's family emigrated from Turkey and is an American success story.

Biloxi Sun Herald: Bush nominates 2 in Mississippi for judgeships
Associated Press: Senators say Bush nominating Southwick for 5th Circuit