JACKSON – Gov. Phil Bryant announced today he has appointed Cory T. Wilson to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. He replaces Chief Judge Kenny Griffis of District 3, Position 2, who was appointed to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court beginning in February 2019.
Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 is comprised of Clarke, Clay, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Rankin, Scott, Smith and Winston counties—and portions of Attala, Jones, Leake, Madison, and Wayne counties.
“Cory has been a superb legislator for the people of Madison County and will be a wonderful judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals,” said Gov. Bryant. “He has an outstanding history of serving the people of the state of Mississippi in various roles, and this is only the next step for him in doing that. I am pleased he has accepted this appointment.”
Wilson currently is in private law practice at Jernigan Copeland Attorneys, PLLC, in Ridgeland, Miss., and has served District 73 (Ridgeland, Madison, Flora, and Gluckstadt areas of Madison County) in the Mississippi House of Representatives since 2016. His law practice concentrates on business, commercial and construction litigation, elections law, and appellate work in state and federal courts.
“The appointment offered this week by Governor Bryant to fill an unexpected vacancy on our Court of Appeals is a rare opportunity to stand for the rule of law and to serve in a challenging new role,” said Wilson. “I am both grateful and humbled by the confidence shown in me by Governor Bryant, and I look forward to serving as a judge on the Court of Appeals.”
Prior to joining Jernigan Copeland Attorneys, PLLC, Wilson established and managed the Jackson Office of Gulf Coast-based law firm Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer, & Burrow. His law practice concentrated on business litigation in state and federal courts, appellate work, business and nonprofit advisory, regulatory compliance, elections and redistricting litigation, and governmental policy. From 2014-2015, Wilson also served as Senior Advisor and Counsel to Mississippi Treasurer Lynn Fitch, while maintaining his law practice on a part-time basis.
Additionally, he was Chief of Staff from 2008-2011 for Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann where he managed operations of the 100-person state agency and facilitated senior policymaking in elections administration, securities and charities regulation, reform of LLC and business laws, administrative procedures, and public lands.
Wilson has served as chair of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education and served on the board of directors of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce and the Madison County Republican Executive Committee. He is also active in the Madison County Business League and Past President of the Downtown Jackson Exchange Club.
He is a member of The Mississippi Bar Association and the Madison County Bar Association.
Wilson earned his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi and his Juris Doctorate from the Yale Law School.
He and his wife, Stephanie, are the parents of one son. They live in Madison County, Miss., and attend Highlands Presbyterian Church.
