At that time, the Fifth Circuit included not only Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (its jurisdiction since October 1, 1981), but also Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Panama Canal Zone.

[4] In what was seen as a reward for his services,[5] Wisdom was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 14, 1957, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Judge Wayne G. Borah.

[11] Wisdom is one of the subjects of the book Unlikely Heroes by Jack Bass, about the Southern Federal judges who helped implement the desegregation of the South.

[12][13] A full-length biography, Champion of Civil Rights: Judge John Minor Wisdom,[14] was written by Professor Joel William Friedman of Tulane Law School, and was published in January 2009 by Louisiana State University Press.

To avoid conflict with the equal protection clause, a classification that denies a benefit, causes harm, or imposes a burden must not be based on race.