Carl E. Stewart

47
Carl E. Stewart bigraphy, stories - American judge

Carl E. Stewart : biography

1950 –

Carl E. Stewart (born January 2, 1950) is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Appointed by Bill Clinton in 1994, Stewart previously sat on Louisiana’s Second Court of Appeal, and served as an accomplished judge, attorney, prosecutor, and professor. Stewart, who has been honored multiple times for his commitment to community service, is the first African-American ever to serve on the Fifth Circuit as it is currently constituted.

Publications

Publications authored by Stewart include: Contemporary Challenges to Judicial Independence, LOYOLA LAW REVIEW, Loyola University School of Law, 1997; Balancing Professionalism, Ethics Quality of Life and the Successful Practice of Law, THE SOUTHWESTERN LEGAL FOUNDATION, PROCEEDINGS OF THE FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL INSTITUTE ON LABOR LAW DEVELOPMENTS, 1999; and Abuse of Power & Judicial Misconduct: A Reflection on Contemporary Ethical Issues Facing Judges, THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS LAW JOURNAL, The University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2003.

Career

Later in 1974, Stewart entered the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. As a captain, he served as a defense attorney for soldiers at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. After an honorable discharge, Stewart worked as an associate in a small private law firm. He joined a field office of the Louisiana Attorney General William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr., in 1978.

In 1979, Stewart became an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and worked on a variety of cases. He prosecuted a loan shark who preyed on the poor, a sheriff who paid for votes during a reelection bid, and an unscrupulous land owner who filed false flood relief claims with the federal government. Stewart received a letter of commendation from the Justice Department for his work on a civil rights case in 1982 and 1983.

Stewart left the Justice Department in 1983 to go into private practice in Shreveport, and work as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University. In 1985, he won election to a six year term as a District Judge in Louisiana. At the conclusion of the term, Stewart was elected to the state’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal.

In 1989, Stewart was praised for his judicial performance. The defunct Shreveport Journal, which sponsored the survey of judges, declared that Stewart had "nearly swept the ratings." One local attorney described Stewart as "a splendid judge, excellent in every respect." Other attorneys lauded his "fine judicial manner," his fairness and concern for "judicial economy." Stewart, one attorney said, "is careful to treat all parties with the same attitude and concern."

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Stewart to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Family

Stewart has been married since 1972 to the former Jo Ann Southall, a registered nurse. They have three children and three grandchildren. Stewart’s two brothers are attorneys: Captain Richard G. Stewart, Jr., is Assistant General Counsel to Verizon Communications in Irving, Texas, and Judge James E. Stewart, Sr., serves on Louisiana’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal.

Honors & Public Speaking

Stewart has received numerous awards for his contributions to charitable and educational endeavors including the Liberty Bell Award presented by the Shreveport Bar Association, Dillard University’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year; and the Raymond Pace Alexander Award and the Judge William H. Hastie Award presented by the National Bar Association Judicial Council. The Boy Scouts of America honored Stewart with its highest awards for volunteer service to youth on the local, regional and national levels: the Silver Beaver Award, the Silver Antelope Award, and the Silver Buffalo Award. He has received the Clyde E. Fant Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service, the 2008 A.P. Tureaud Achievement Award from the Loyola University School of Law Black Law Students Association, and the 2008 The Times Leadership Award sponsored by the Shreveport Times and the Alliance for Education. Stewart also was named Louisiana Outstanding Young Man of the Year by the Louisiana Chapter of the Jaycees and won the Black Leader of the Year award from the Southern University Shreveport-Bossier Afro-American Society.