Charles R. Wilson (born October 14, 1954) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Education

Wilson was born in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

in 1954. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School of Tampa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1976 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Notre Dame Law School in 1979.

Career

Following graduation from law school, Wilson served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge

Joseph W. Hatchett Joseph Woodrow Hatchett (September 17, 1932 – April 30, 2021) was an American lawyer and judge. He worked in private practice, was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit, an ...

of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1979 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he served as an Assistant County Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida. Following a five-year stint in private practice based in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, he was appointed as a county state judge in Hillsborough County in 1986, serving in that capacity until 1990. From 1994 to 1999, he served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

Federal judicial service

United States magistrate judge service

In 1990 Wilson was appointed as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, serving until 1994.

Court of appeals service

President Bill Clinton nominated Wilson to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on May 27, 1999, to replace the vacancy created when

, his former boss who had since been transferred from the 5th Circuit to the 11th Circuit, retired. Wilson's nomination was relatively uncontroversial, earning bipartisan support from both of his state's senators,

Bob Graham Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States senator from Florida from 1987 to 2005. He is a member of the Dem ...

and Connie Mack III. Wilson was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on July 30, 1999. He received his judicial commission on August 9, 1999.

References

Sources

*
11th Circuit Court of Appeals Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Charles R. 1954 births Living people African-American judges African-American lawyers Florida lawyers Florida state court judges Jesuit High School (Tampa) alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Notre Dame Law School alumni People from Pensacola, Florida People from Tampa, Florida United States Attorneys for the Middle District of Florida United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton United States magistrate judges University of Notre Dame alumni 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges