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| United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
|---|---|
| (5th Cir.) | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building |
| Appeals from | |
| Established | June 16, 1891 |
| Judges | 17 |
| Circuit Justice | Samuel Alito |
| Chief Judge | Priscilla Richman |
| www | |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
- Eastern District of Louisiana
- Middle District of Louisiana
- Western District of Louisiana
- Northern District of Mississippi
- Southern District of Mississippi
- Eastern District of Texas
- Northern District of Texas
- Southern District of Texas
- Western District of Texas
The Fifth Circuit has 17 active judgeships, and is headquartered at the John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the clerk's office located at the F. Edward Hebert Federal Building in New Orleans.[1]
Originally, the Fifth Circuit also included the federal district courts in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. In 1981, the district courts for those states were transferred to the newly created U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
History of the court
This court was created by the Evarts Act on June 16, 1891, which moved the circuit judges and appellate jurisdiction from the Circuit Courts of the Fifth Circuit to this court. At the time of its creation, the Fifth Circuit covered Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
On June 25, 1948, the Panama Canal Zone was added to the Fifth Circuit by 62 Stat. 870. The Fifth Circuit gained appellate jurisdiction over the United States District Court for the Canal Zone.
On October 1, 1981, under Pub. L. 96–452, the Fifth Circuit was split: Alabama, Georgia, and Florida were moved to the new Eleventh Circuit.
On March 31, 1982, the Fifth Circuit lost jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone, which was transferred to Panamanian control.
The Fifth Circuit Four
Starting in the late 1950s, judges Elbert Parr Tuttle (chief judge 1960–67), John Minor Wisdom, John R. Brown (chief judge 1967–79), and Richard T. Rives (chief judge 1959–60) became known as the "Fifth Circuit Four", or simply "The Four", for decisions crucial in advancing the civil rights of African Americans. In this, they were usually opposed by their fellow Fifth Circuit Judge, Benjamin F. Cameron of Mississippi, until his death in 1964.[2]
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on August 29, 2005, devastating the city and slightly damaging the John Minor Wisdom Courthouse. All deadlines concerning filings were extended. The court temporarily relocated its administrative operations to Houston, and returned to normal operations in New Orleans in March 2007.[citation needed]
Current composition of the court
As of December 8, 2023[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 77 | Chief Judge | Priscilla Richman | Austin, TX | 1954 | 2005–present | 2019–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 63 | Circuit Judge | Edith Jones | Houston, TX | 1949 | 1985–present | 2006–2012 | — | Reagan |
| 64 | Circuit Judge | Jerry Edwin Smith | Houston, TX | 1946 | 1987–present | — | — | Reagan |
| 71 | Circuit Judge | Carl E. Stewart | Shreveport, LA | 1950 | 1994–present | 2012–2019 | — | Clinton |
| 78 | Circuit Judge | Jennifer Walker Elrod | Houston, TX | 1966 | 2007–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 79 | Circuit Judge | Leslie H. Southwick | Jackson, MS | 1950 | 2007–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 80 | Circuit Judge | Catharina Haynes | Dallas, TX | 1963 | 2008–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 81 | Circuit Judge | James E. Graves Jr. | Jackson, MS | 1953 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 82 | Circuit Judge | Stephen A. Higginson | New Orleans, LA | 1961 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 84 | Circuit Judge | Don Willett | Austin, TX | 1966 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 85 | Circuit Judge | James C. Ho | Dallas, TX | 1973 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 86 | Circuit Judge | Kyle Duncan | Baton Rouge, LA | 1972 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 87 | Circuit Judge | Kurt D. Engelhardt | New Orleans, LA | 1960 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 88 | Circuit Judge | Andrew Oldham | Austin, TX | 1978 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 89 | Circuit Judge | Cory T. Wilson | Jackson, MS | 1970 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 90 | Circuit Judge | Dana Douglas | New Orleans, LA | 1975 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 91 | Circuit Judge | Irma Carrillo Ramirez | Dallas, TX | 1964 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 51 | Senior Circuit Judge | Carolyn Dineen King | Houston, TX | 1938 | 1979–2013 | 1999–2006 | 2013–present | Carter |
| 59 | Senior Circuit Judge | E. Grady Jolly | Jackson, MS | 1937 | 1982–2017 | — | 2017–present | Reagan |
| 60 | Senior Circuit Judge | Patrick Higginbotham | San Antonio, TX | 1938 | 1982–2006 | — | 2006–present | Reagan |
| 61 | Senior Circuit Judge | W. Eugene Davis | New Orleans, LA | 1936 | 1983–2016 | — | 2016–present | Reagan |
| 65 | Senior Circuit Judge | John M. Duhé Jr. | inactive | 1933 | 1988–1999 | — | 1999–present | Reagan |
| 66 | Senior Circuit Judge | Jacques L. Wiener Jr. | New Orleans, LA | 1934 | 1990–2010 | — | 2010–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 67 | Senior Circuit Judge | Rhesa Barksdale | Jackson, MS | 1944 | 1990–2009 | — | 2009–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 73 | Senior Circuit Judge | James L. Dennis | New Orleans, LA | 1936 | 1995–2022 | — | 2022–present | Clinton |
| 74 | Senior Circuit Judge | Edith Brown Clement | New Orleans, LA | 1948 | 2001–2018 | — | 2018–present | G.W. Bush |