The Fifth Circuit website is operational once again. An emergency notice posted at the site indicates, among other things, that "[t]he emergency 'command post' for the court is currently located in Houston at the district court" (and information about the Fifth Circuit's interim location will be forthcoming).
The Fifth Circuit website also has an answer to Article III Groupie's previously posed question: How will applicants to the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit judges submit their clerkship applications next week? The court's website now has clerkship application information for Judge Wiener (click here), Judge Dennis (click here), and the rather attractive Judge Clement (click here).
In addition, people interested in clerking for the Fifth Circuit should take note of the following information and rumor (unconfirmed and unofficial, so rely upon it at your peril). The current duty stations for Fifth Circuit judges are listed in this table, but they may be changing, as follows:
1. Judge Thomas M. Reavley is relocating from Austin to Houston this fall, to get a little closer to his bride in the black robe: the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King! And she's not just his wife; as the Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, she's also his boss. We know who takes out the trash in that household!
Of course, even if she weren't Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, Carolyn King would still be a formidable presence. This "very smart" judge has been described as "extremely intense while on the bench" -- so intense that "you think she's about to leap over it!"
Judge Reavley and Chief Judge King got married almost a year ago exactly, on August 22, 2004. Their "under the robes" romance is what led A3G to declare them "the prom king and queen" of the federal judicial high school. Belated wishes for a happy anniversary, Your Honors!
2. Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham is moving from Dallas to Austin. A UTR source speculates this relocation could be a sign that he might be taking senior status. Judge Higginbotham is 66 years old -- he turns 67 on December 16 of this year -- and he has served on the federal bench since December 1975. So he amply satisfies the so-called "Rule of 80" for taking senior status.
Regardless of whether he is an active or senior circuit judge, Judge Higginbotham has much to teach his law clerks. He is a "brilliant" jurist who is "very well-respected," renowned for writing thorough and scholarly opinions. In addition, the network of former Higginbotham law clerks is an impressive one.
3. Finally, rumor has it that Judge Fortunato P. Benavides may be doing the reverse of Judge Reavley's move, by relocating his chambers from Austin to Houston. (Random tidbit about Judge Benavides: his wife was a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines.)
(Update: The rumor concerning Judge Benavides is incorrect. Please see this correction.)
Okay, that's all for the Fifth Circuit version of "musical chairs." Article Three Groupie wishes her readers a safe and enjoyable Labor Day holiday weekend. And if you haven't already done so, please consider making a donation to support Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.
Judge Benavides is DEFINITELY NOT moving his chambers to Houston.
Posted by: anonymous | September 06, 2005 at 09:57 PM