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Jennifer Elrod | |
|---|---|
 Elrod in 2007 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
| Assumed office October 4, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Priscilla Richman |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Patrick Higginbotham |
| Judge of the 190thTexas District Court | |
| In office April 23, 2002 – October 4, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | John Devine |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Kerrigan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jennifer Leigh Walker (1966-09-06)September 6, 1966 (age 59) Port Arthur, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Education | Baylor University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Jennifer Walker Elrod (bornJennifer Leigh Walker; September 6, 1966) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as thechief United States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She previously served as a state court judge on the190th District Court of Texas from 2002 to 2007.
Elrod was born Jennifer Leigh Walker in 1966 inPort Arthur, Texas, and grew up inBaytown, Texas.
After high school, Elrod studiedeconomics atBaylor University, graduating in 1988 with aBachelor of Arts,magna cum laude. At Baylor, she was the Outstanding Graduating Senior of the Honors Program and was eventually named Outstanding Young Alumna. She went toHarvard Law School in 1989 and received herJuris Doctor in 1992, graduatingcum laude. At Harvard Law School, she was a member of theBoard of Student Advisers, an active member of the Harvard Federalist Society, and a finalist in the Ames Moot Court competition. She became a member of theState Bar of Texas in 1992.
After law school, Elrod was alaw clerk for JudgeSim Lake of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Texas from 1992 to 1994. She then entered private practice at the law firmBaker Botts.
In 2002, GovernorRick Perry appointed Elrod to be a judge on the 190th District Court inHarris County. She was elected to the judgeship in the 2002 general election, and again in 2006 when she ran unopposed. As a state district court judge, she presided over jury and bench trials involving civil litigation. Elrod remained on the Harris County bench until her confirmation to the Fifth Circuit.
PresidentGeorge W. Bush nominated Elrod to a vacancy on the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit, the primary court of appeal for all federal trial court cases in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana,[2] on March 29, 2007, She succeeded JudgePatrick Higginbotham, who assumedsenior status on August 26, 2006. Elrod received a hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on July 19, 2007, and was voted out of committee on September 20, 2007. She was confirmed by theUnited States Senate byvoice vote on October 4, 2007.[3] She received her commission on October 19, 2007.[4] She maintains chambers inHouston, Texas.
She has authored significant rulings against abortion rights, gun control and Obamacare.[2] In 2022, Elrod ruled that the SEC's in-house adjudication of securities fraud charges was unconstitutional under the Seventh Amendment, Article I, and Article II of the Constitution.[5] The Supreme Court affirmed her ruling on Seventh Amendment grounds in a 6–3 decision in 2024.[6]
On October 4, 2024, Elrod was named chief judge of the Fifth Circuit.[2][7]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 2007–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 2024–present | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
