Charles R. Wilson (judge)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles R. Wilson (born October 14, 1954), is currently a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
He was born in Pensacola, Florida. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School of Tampa. His educational background includes B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Following graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Joseph W. Hatchett 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, Florida, he was appointed as a County State Judge in Hillsborough County, serving in that capacity until 1990, when he was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate in the Middle District of Florida. He served as a federal magistrate until 1994, when he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the district.
Unlike some of President Bill Clinton's other circuit-court nominations in his final years as president, Wilson's nomination to the Eleventh Circuit was relatively uncontroversial. Clinton nominated Wilson to the post on May 27, 1999 to replace the vacancy created when Hatchett, his former boss, retired. "This is a great honor," Wilson told the Tampa Tribune at the time of his nomination. "It reflects a level of confidence in my ability. It has really been a long-standing dream of mine to serve on that court." Wilson's nomination earned bipartisan support from both of his state's senators at the time, Bob Graham and Connie Mack III. Wilson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a voice vote on July 30, 1999.
