Kristi Haskins Johnson Explained

Kristi Haskins Johnson
Office:Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
Appointer:Donald Trump
Term Start:December 1, 2020
Predecessor:Keith Starrett
Office1:Solicitor General of Mississippi
1Blankname1:Attorney General
1Namedata1:Lynn Fitch
Term Start1:February 24, 2020
Term End1:December 1, 2020
Predecessor1:Position established
Successor1:Scott G. Stewart
Birth Name:Kristi Erin Haskins
Birth Place:Oxford, Mississippi, U.S.
Education:University of Mississippi (BA)
Mississippi College School of Law (JD)

Kristi Erin Haskins Johnson (born 1980)[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and former solicitor general of Mississippi.

Education

Johnson earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi in 2003 and her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the Mississippi College School of Law in 2008, where she served as an editor of the Mississippi College Law Review.[2] [3]

Career

Upon graduation from law school, Johnson served as a law clerk to Judge Sharion Aycock of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi and to Judge Leslie Southwick of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She worked in private practice at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart and later served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. On February 24, 2020, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch appointed Johnson the first Solicitor General of Mississippi.[4] She left her position as Solicitor General upon being appointed a federal judge. Haskins has served as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College.[5]

Federal judicial service

On March 30, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Johnson to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. On May 4, 2020, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Johnson to the seat vacated by Judge Keith Starrett, who assumed senior status on April 30, 2019.[6] On September 9, 2020, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On October 22, 2020, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–0 vote.[8] On November 16, 2020, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–38 vote.[9] On November 17, 2020, her nomination was confirmed by a 53–43 vote.[10] She received her judicial commission on December 1, 2020. Haskins is the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the Southern District of Mississippi.[5]

Memberships

Johnson is a member of the Federalist Society, the Federal Bar Association, and the Charles L. Clark Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

External links

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Notes and References

  1. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kristi%20Johnson%20SJQ%20-%20PUBLIC.pdf United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Kristi Johnson
  2. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-judicial-nominees-10/ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, March 30, 2020
  3. Web site: Kristi Haskins Johnson Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com . www.martindale.com . March 30, 2020.
  4. Web site: Attorney General Fitch Appoints Mississippi's First Solicitor General . February 24, 2020 . Mississippi Politics and News – Y'all Politics . en-US . March 30, 2020.
  5. News: 1st woman confirmed as US judge for southern Mississippi . 3 December 2020 . The Clarion-Ledger . Associated Press . November 17, 2020.
  6. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/thirty-nominations-one-withdrawal-sent-senate/ "Thirty Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", White House, May 4, 2020
  7. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/09/09/2020/nominations United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for September 9, 2020
  8. Web site: Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 22, 2020. Senate Judiciary Committee.
  9. Web site: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Kristi Haskins Johnson to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi). United States Senate. November 16, 2020.
  10. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Kristi Haskins Johnson, of Mississippi, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi). United States Senate. November 17, 2020.