Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judges
New Orleans · 17 active judgeships · Hears appeals from the federal courts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is one of the thirteen U.S. courts of appeals, the intermediate appellate tier of the federal judiciary. It hears appeals from the federal district courts within the Fifth Circuit, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Its decisions bind those courts unless reviewed by the Supreme Court of the United States.
5th Circuit judges by appointing president
Of 17 active judges: 12 appointed by Republican presidents, 5 by Democratic.
| Judge | Appointed by | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Edith Hollan Jones | Reagan | Republican |
| Jerry Edwin Smith | Reagan | Republican |
| Carl E. Stewart | Clinton | Democratic |
| Priscilla Richman | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Jennifer Walker Elrod | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Leslie Southwick | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Catharina Haynes | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| James Earl Graves Jr. | Obama | Democratic |
| Stephen Andrew Higginson | Obama | Democratic |
| Stuart Kyle Duncan | Trump | Republican |
| Kurt Damian Engelhardt | Trump | Republican |
| James C. Ho | Trump | Republican |
| Andrew Stephen Oldham | Trump | Republican |
| Don R. Willett | Trump | Republican |
| Cory Todd Wilson | Trump | Republican |
| Dana Marie Douglas | Biden | Democratic |
| Irma Carrillo Ramirez | Biden | Democratic |
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Edith H. Jones
- Jerry E. Smith
- Carl E. Stewart
- Priscilla Richman
- Jennifer W. Elrod
- Leslie Southwick
- Catharina Haynes
- James E. Graves Jr.
- Stephen A. Higginson
- Stuart K. Duncan
- Kurt D. Engelhardt
- James C. Ho
- Andrew S. Oldham
- Don R. Willett
- Cory T. Wilson
- Dana M. Douglas
- Irma C. Ramirez
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Carolyn D. King
- Patrick E. Higginbotham
- W. E. Davis
- Rhesa H. Barksdale
- Jacques L. Wiener Jr.
- James L. Dennis
- Edith B. Clement
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale (current) · James Earl Graves Jr. (current) · Cory Todd Wilson (current) · Jacques Loeb Wiener Jr. (current) · Stephen Andrew Higginson (current) · Patrick Errol Higginbotham (current) · Jennifer Walker Elrod (current) · Catharina Haynes (current) · W. Eugene Davis (current) · Stuart Kyle Duncan (current) · James L. Dennis (current) · Dana Marie Douglas (current) · Irma Carrillo Ramirez (current) · Carolyn Dineen King (current) · James C. Ho (current) · Leslie Southwick (current) · Don R. Willett (current) · Edith Brown Clement (current) · Kurt Damian Engelhardt (current) · Andrew Stephen Oldham (current) · Priscilla Richman (current) · Edith Hollan Jones (current) · Jerry Edwin Smith (current) · Carl E. Stewart (current) · E. Grady Jolly · Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr.
Former judges
District courts in the Fifth Circuit
The federal trial courts whose appeals this circuit reviews.
Historical district courts
Earlier districts in this circuit’s territory that no longer operate: reorganized or split into today’s districts. Kept for the judges who served on them.
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the Fifth Circuit’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1891. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC). Verify against the primary source before relying.