Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Wingate received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College in 1969 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1972.
[1] On September 29, 2016, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals removed Wingate as judge from two cases for continued failure to rule upon pending motions.
[3] Wingate sentenced Chris Epps, former Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) commissioner, to 325 months (19.7 years) for corruption-related crimes.
[4] Wingate cited a burglary incident in which Epps, while on bail, attempted to move material from a Flowood, Mississippi residence he previously gave up to the court, as the reason why Wingate gave a sentence that was longer than the one recommended by prosecutors, 13 years.
[5] Over the objections of the NAACP, effective January 1, 2024, Wingate allowed the creation of a new Capitol Complex Improvement District Court in the city of Jackson where the chief justice will be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, and the prosecutors by the Mississippi Attorney General.