Council Emeritus
Life Member

The Hon. Carolyn Dineen King

Houston, TX
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Education
Smith College
Yale Law School

Carolyn Dineen King is a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge King worked in private practice, principally with Fulbright & Jaworski, focusing primarily on corporate and federal securities law until 1979. She was appointed to the Fifth Circuit in 1979 and was the chief judge of the circuit from 1999 through 2006. In 2000, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge King to be a member of the executive committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which governs the federal court system, and which she chaired from 2002 through 2005.

She was elected to the ALI in December 1985 and was elected to the Council in December 1991. She has served as ALI 's treasurer, and she was an Adviser on the Restatement of the Law Third - Torts: Products Liability project as well as the Transnational Insolvency Project.

Judge King has been active in many human services, educational, and health-related organizations in Houston, Texas, and is currently serving as a member of the board of Baylor College of Medicine. Judge King is a recipient of the Smith College Medal, the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Award, and the federal judiciary’s highest award, the 2007 Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.

EDUCATION: Smith College, B.A.; Yale Law School, J.D.  

The Hon. Carolyn Dineen King Image