Trump nominates Jackson-based lawyer Todd Butler to federal appeals court
Oct 01, 2026 | 1:51 pm ET
Description
Photo courtesy of Mississippi Today
Audio articles are automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story; however, this audio has not been reviewed for accuracy and may contain errors. Read more about how we use AI to increase access to our reporting.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he plans to nominate Jackson-based labor and employment lawyer Todd Butler to a Mississippi-based opening on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The wonderful people of the Great State of Mississippi (one of my favorites!), and the rest of the Fifth Circuit, can count on Todd to protect the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” Trump said on social media.
Butler has spent the last 17 years practicing with the Jackson-based law firm Phelps Dunbar, according to his LinkedIn profile, and he previously clerked for Judge Leslie Southwick, the judge whose seat he would fill if confirmed. Southwick recently took senior status.
Butler graduated from Mississippi State University and Mississippi Christian University School of Law, and both Mississippi’s Republican U.S. senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, support him.
“Todd Butler is an excellent pick for the federal bench,” the two senators said in a joint statement. “He believes in interpreting the law as it is written, pursuant to the text and original meaning of the Constitution — exactly the quality that should characterize a jurist.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee will likely schedule a confirmation hearing for Butler in the coming months. The court hears federal appeals from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Jackson, MS
