Cory Todd Wilson at a glance
- Current role
- U.S. Circuit Judge
- Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Cory Todd Wilson
U.S. Circuit Judge · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Available research
Biography
Professional career
- Law clerk to Judge Emmett R. Cox, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (1995–1996)
- White House Fellow, U.S. Department of Defense, Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (2005–2006)
- Senior Advisor and Counsel, Mississippi State Treasurer’s Office (2014–2015)
- Private practice in Jackson, MS (1996–2005, 2006–2008, 2011–2016)
- Professional Career: Deputy secretary of state and chief of staff, State of Mississippi, 2008-2011
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Emmett R. Cox, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1995-1996
- Professional Career: Private practice, Madison, Mississippi, 2011
- Professional Career: Adjunct professor, Mississippi College School of Law, 1998, 2013
- Professional Career: White House Fellow, U.S. Department of Defense, 2005-2006
- Professional Career: Private practice, Ridgeland, Mississippi, 2016-2019
- Professional Career: State representative, Mississippi, 2016-2019
- Professional Career: Private practice, Jackson, Mississippi, 1996-2005, 2006-2008, 2011-2016
- Professional Career: Senior advisor and counsel, Office of the State Treasurer, State of Mississippi, 2014-2015
Judicial service
- Judge, Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2019-2020
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2020-present
- Professional Career: Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals, 2019-2020
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Wilson has authored and participated in numerous appellate opinions, including Marshall v. Guerrero (Sept. 22, 2026) and Texas v. U.S. Dept. of the Interior (Sept. 11, 2026). His work spans a range of federal appellate matters, including environmental, civil rights, and administrative law cases.
- Cory Todd Wilson is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2020.
- Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge (2019–2020)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge (2020–present)
- Nominated: May 4, 2020, by President Trump
- Senate confirmation: June 24, 2020, by a 52–48 vote
- Commissioned: July 2, 2020
- In summary: Cory Todd Wilson is a Republican jurist with a background in law, state government, and legislative service, now serving as a federal appellate judge in the Fifth Circuit since 2020.
- Mississippi House of Representatives (2016–2019)
- Replaced E. Grady Jolly
Education
- University of Mississippi · Business Administration, summa cum laude, 1992
- Yale Law School · J.D., 1995
Personal record
Born August 8, 1970 · Pascagoula, MS
Courtroom rules and guidance
Appellate Oral Argument
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.
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 unnecessaryFederal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/8479971CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14470/cory-todd-wilson/Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure