Fred Thompson has come out four square in favor of confirming Judge Leslie Southwick to the Court of Appeals 5th Circuit. While it really doesn't come as a surprise, the passion with which Thompson backs Southwick as well as his clear desire to appoint conservative judges if elected may dispel some uneasiness conservatives have been feeling about Thompson recently: His opponents do not question Judge Southwick’s qualifications to sit on the federal appeals court. Indeed, they cannot. Judge Southwick served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals from that court’s very inception in January 1995 through December 2006. Prior to serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, from 1989 to 1993, he was in a general civil private practice for 12 years. He’s taught law as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law since 1998. He’s also served his country in Iraq, fulfilling his National Guard duty...(Read Full Post)