Walter Nixon

Who is Walter Nixon?

Walter Louis Nixon, Jr. is a former United States federal judge who was impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from office by the Senate.

Nixon was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. He attended Tulane University Law School, graduating in 1951 and went into private practice in his hometown of Biloxi. He also served in the United States Air Force from 1953 and 1955.

On May 29, 1968, Nixon was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, created by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 1968, and received his commission on June 7, 1968. In 1982, due to his length of tenure, he became Chief Judge of the same District Court.

In 1989, Nixon was impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate, for committing perjury before a grand jury. The offense stemmed from his grand jury testimony and statements to federal officers concerning his intervention in the state drug prosecution of Drew Fairchild, the son of Wiley Fairchild, a business partner of Nixon.