The federal courthouse in Jackson Credit: U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services

U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola will take senior status next spring, meaning President Donald Trump could appoint his first federal judge in Mississippi.

Guirola, a 65-year-old judge based in Gulfport, wrote a letter to Trump on May 1, informing the president of his intention to take senior status beginning March 23, 2018.

Senior status gives longtime federal judges a reduced caseload with the full salary of an active judge. Judges may take senior status if they are 65 years old and have served at least 15 years.

“Judge Guirola continues in service as a senior judge,” said Arthur Johnston, clerk of court for the federal court in the Southern District of Mississippi. “It’s a great benefit to the court because senior judges still carry a substantial workload, and that helps with caseload for other judges.”

Trump has appointed 40 district court judges across the country. To date, just four of them have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

In October, the Senate confirmed Madison attorney Mike Hurst as U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Mississippi. Trump had nominated Hurst in June. Trump, also in June, nominated Oxford attorney Chad Lamar for U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Mississippi. Lamar still awaits Senate confirmation.

Guirola, who was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003, will be the Southern District’s fifth senior judge. He served as chief judge for the district between 2010 and 2017.

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Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau oversees Mississippi's largest newsroom. He was the lead editor of Mississippi Today's 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Backchannel" investigation, which exposed the roles of high-profile players in the state's welfare scandal. During Adam's tenure as editor, Mississippi Today has won numerous national, regional and statewide journalism prizes for its journalism. Under his leadership, the newsroom won a 2023 Pulitzer Prize and was named a finalist for a 2024 Pulitzer Prize; won two Goldsmith Prizes for Investigative Reporting; won a Collier Prize for State Government Accountability; won a Livingston Award; won a Sidney Award; and was awarded the National Press Club's highest honor for press freedom.

He previously worked as a staff reporter for Mississippi Today, AL.com, The Birmingham News, and the Clarion Ledger. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 2014.