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Grady Jolly

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E. Grady Jolly

Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

Tenure

2017 - Present

Years in position

Prior offices:

United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

Years in office: 1982 - 2017

Education

Bachelor's

University of Mississippi, 1959

Law

University of Mississippi Law Center, 1962

Personal

Birthplace

Louisville, MS

E. Grady Jolly is afederal judge onsenior status with theUnited States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. He joined the court in 1982 after being nominated by PresidentRonald Reagan (R).

Jolly was succeeded byCory Wilson, who was nominated by PresidentDonald Trump (R) and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on June 24, 2020.^[1]

Early life and education

Born in Louisville,Mississippi, Jolly graduated from the University of Mississippi with his bachelor's degree in 1959 and from the University of Mississippi Law School with hisJ.D. in 1962.^[2]

Professional career

1982 - Present:United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

2017 - Present: Senior judge
1982-2017: Judge

1969-1982: Private practice,Jackson, Miss.
1967-1969: Trial attorney, Tax Division,U.S. Department of Justice
1964-1967:Assistant U.S. attorney,Northern District of Mississippi
1962-1964: Trial attorney,National Labor Relations Board,Winston-Salem, N.C.^[2]

Judicial career

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: E. Grady Jolly
Court:United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 26 days after nomination.
ANominated: July 1, 1982
AABA Rating:
Questionnaire:
AHearing: July 14, 1982

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: July 26, 1982
AConfirmed: July 27, 1982
AVote: Unanimous consent

Jolly was nominated to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit by PresidentRonald Reagan on July 1, 1982, to a seat vacated byJames Coleman. Hearings on Jolly's nomination were held before theUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on July 14, 1982, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) on July 26, 1982. Jolly was confirmed by the unanimous consent of theU.S. Senate on July 27, 1982, and he received his commission on July 30, 1982. Jolly elected to takesenior status beginning on October 3, 2017.^[2]^[3] He was succeeded byCory Wilson, who was nominated by PresidentDonald Trump (R) and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on June 24, 2020.^[1]

Noteworthy cases

Parents permitted to intervene in school voucher desegregation suit (2014)

See also:United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit (Brumfield, et al v. Dodd, 13-31262)

On April 10, 2014, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit composed of Judges Jolly,Edith Clement, andJerry Smith, ruled that parents would be permitted to intervene in a suit filed against Louisiana's Superintendent of Public Education by the Department of Justice to ensure its school-voucher program was in compliance with federal desegregation orders.^[4]

In the underlying case, the U.S. government filed suit for an injunction, demanding that the state's voucher program not be used to send students in failing schools under federal desegregation orders to private schools as doing so would "cause irreparable injury to the court-ordered desegregation process." The parents were previously denied the opportunity to intervene, but Judge Smith, writing for the majority, noted that the children's guardians need only show thepossibility that their interests would be affected by the case's resolution.^[4] In concluding the ruling, Smith quipped:

“

It would indeed be a questionable rule that would require prospective intervenors to wait on the sidelines until after a court has already decided enough issues contrary to their interests.^[4]^[5]

”