- Jennifer Elrod
Jennifer Walker Elrod (born 1966 in
Port Arthur, Texas ) is a federal judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit .Background
Elrod was born in
Port Arthur, Texas in 1966 and grew up inBaytown, Texas . She attendedBaylor University from 1984-1988 and graduatedmagna cum laude with aB.A. degree in economics. She went toHarvard Law School in 1989 and received herJ.D. in 1992, graduatingcum laude . She became a member of theState Bar of Texas in 1992.Elrod began her professional career by serving a two-year clerkship for federal district judge
Sim Lake of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Texas . After completing her clerkship, she became an associate at the national law firmBaker Botts in 1994, where she practiced a wide variety of litigation matters for the next eight years.In 2002, Governor
Rick Perry appointed Elrod to be a judge on the 190th District Court in Harris 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.Fifth Circuit nomination and confirmation
President
George W. Bush nominated Elrod to a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit onMarch 29 ,2007 to replace JudgePatrick Higginbotham , who tookSenior status onAugust 26 ,2006 . Elrod received a hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee onJuly 19 ,2007 , and was voted out of committee onSeptember 20 ,2007 . She was confirmed by theUnited States Senate byvoice vote onOctober 4 ,2007 , just over six months after her nomination. Elrod was the fourth judge nominated to the Fifth Circuit by Bush and confirmed by the Senate. She maintains chambers inHouston, Texas . Her first published opinion for the Fifth Circuit, [http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/07/07-40593-CR0.wpd.pdf "United States v. Spencer"] , was released onJanuary 14 ,2008 .External links
* [http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=3159 Federal Judicial Center Profile]
* [http://www.justex.net/Courts/Civil/CivilCourt.aspx?crt=16 Harris County District Courts Online]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/elrodresume.htm U.S. Department of Justice Resume for Elrod]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/judicialnominees/elrod.html White House Profile of Elrod]
*Lezon, Dale," [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5189585.html Senate confirms Harris County judge for appeals court] ," "Houston Chronicle ",October 5 ,2007 ###@@@KEY@@@###succession box| title=Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit| before=
Patrick Higginbotham | after=incumbent | years=2007-present|
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