CONFERENCE DEDICATION
The 2024 Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference
Is Dedicated to
THE HONORABLE
CAROLYN DINEEN KING
Senior United States Circuit Judge
Houston, Texas
The 2024 Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference is dedicated to the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King, Senior Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge King has rendered stellar service as a judge on our court of appeals for nearly 45 years.
Judge King was born in Syracuse, New York, to parents who were both attorneys. She graduated summa cum laude from Smith College in 1959 with a major in philosophy. At Yale Law School, she was one of five women in her class of 175 students, and she received her law degree in 1962. Later that same year, Judge King began her legal career in private practice in Houston, Texas. For the majority of her time in private practice, she worked as a highly successful corporate and securities lawyer at the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now “Norton Rose Fulbright”). She enjoyed being a practicing attorney so much that she was “reluctant” to become a judge. We are grateful that she ultimately overcame her reluctance and fully embraced her calling as a judge.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge King to serve on the Fifth Circuit. She later became the first woman to hold the position of Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, blazing the path for Judge Jones, myself, and soon Judge Elrod to follow as Chief Judge. She faithfully served as our Chief Judge from 1999 to 2006. With her planning and thoughtfulness, then-Chief Judge King deftly navigated the Fifth Circuit’s temporary move to Houston after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area. In addition to all her duties and responsibilities as Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, in 2002, at the request of then-Chief Justice Rehnquist, Judge King became the first woman to chair the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
In 2005, the American Bar Association honored Judge King with the Margaret Brent Award. Each year this award is given to “outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the legal profession.” In 2007, Judge King received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, which is one of the most prestigious honors available to a federal judge. In a letter supporting Judge King for this award, then-Chief Judge Michael Boudin of the First Circuit stated that: “Judge King has been an outstanding chief judge of her own circuit, almost legendary in her devotion to its needs. In her leadership of the Executive Committee . . . she has been the single most important figure in the Judiciary in guiding the courts through the financial crisis of the last several years.”
In 2014, the American College of Bankruptcy presented Judge King with its Distinguished Service Award “in recognition of her seminal judicial role in the explication of the Bankruptcy Code and her countless contributions to charitable, educational and health-related organizations.” In addition to her leadership positions in the judiciary, Judge King served for many years on the Council of the American Law Institute and held several positions in the organization. She has also served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Baylor College of Medicine, the United Way, and Saint Thomas University. Volunteer work has always been important to Judge King. When she was just thirteen years old, her parents insisted that she begin doing volunteer work, and she has enthusiastically continued to do so throughout her career.
During her almost 45 years as a judge on the Fifth Circuit, Judge King has authored more than 7,000 opinions. After being an active judge for thirty-four years, Judge King assumed senior status in 2013. We are fortunate that she has continued to help shoulder the work of our Court. We are forever indebted to Judge King for her endless devotion to the law, her trailblazing the path for many women, and her careful stewardship of this Court.