United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Current United States federal appellate court

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
(5th Cir.)
Location
Appealsfrom
Established
Judges
CircuitJustice
ChiefJudge
www.ca5.uscourts.gov

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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Minor_Wisdom_United_States_Court_of_Appeals_Building "

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History of the court

The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse, home of the Fifth Circuit, New Orleans

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.

Fifth Circuit Four

Main article: Fifth Circuit Four

Starting in the late 1950s, judges Elbert Parr Tuttle (chief judge 1960–1967), John Minor Wisdom, John R. Brown (chief judge 1967–1979), 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] During this era, the role of the Fifth Circuit in civil rights caused the court to be nicknamed the "Supreme Court of Dixie".[3]

2020s

During his first administration, President Donald Trump appointed six judges to the court, with many observers thereafter regarding it as the most conservative court of appeals.[4][5][6] The Fifth Circuit's reversal rate at the US Supreme Court from the beginning of the 2020 term through the end of the 2022 term was 74%, making it the 7th most frequently reversed circuit court; the average rate of reversals was 68%.[7][8] Some members of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John Roberts, have indicated concern with how the Fifth Circuit approaches cases.[9][10][11] Several court observers have interpreted the court as being exceptionally conservative in its rulings.[12] Appeals from the Fifth Circuit "have made up a disproportionate number of cases heard by the Supreme Court".[13]

List of former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | [Senior status](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

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Current composition of the court

As of March16,2026[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service	Appointed by
Active	Chief	Senior
78	Chief Judge	Jennifer Walker Elrod	Houston, TX	1966	2007–present	2024–present
63	Circuit Judge	Edith Jones	Houston, TX	1949	1985–present	2006–2012
64	Circuit Judge	Jerry Edwin Smith	Houston, TX	1946	1987–present	—
71	Circuit Judge	Carl E. Stewart	Shreveport, LA	1950	1994–present	2012–2019
77	Circuit Judge	Priscilla Richman	Austin, TX	1954	2005–present	2019–2024
79	Circuit Judge	Leslie H. Southwick	Austin, TX	1950	2007–present	—
80	Circuit Judge	Catharina Haynes	Dallas, TX	1963	2008–present	—
81	Circuit Judge	James E. Graves Jr.	Jackson, MS	1953	2011–present	—
82	Circuit Judge	Stephen A. Higginson	New Orleans, LA	1961	2011–present	—
84	Circuit Judge	Don Willett	Austin, TX	1966	2018–present	—
85	Circuit Judge	James C. Ho	Dallas, TX	1973	2018–present	—
86	Circuit Judge	Kyle Duncan	New Orleans, LA	1972	2018–present	—
87	Circuit Judge	Kurt D. Engelhardt	New Orleans, LA	1960	2018–present	—
88	Circuit Judge	Andrew Oldham	Austin, TX	1978	2018–present	—
89	Circuit Judge	Cory T. Wilson	Jackson, MS	1970	2020–present	—
90	Circuit Judge	Dana Douglas	[N

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