Jennifer Walker Elrod

Jennifer Walker Elrod is a federal judgeon the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Elrod was born in Port Arthur, Texasin 1966 and grew up in Baytown, Texas. She attended Baylor Universityfrom 1984-1988 and graduated magna cum laudewith a B.A.degree in economics. She went to Harvard Law Schoolin 1989 and received her J.D.in 1992, graduating cum laude. At Harvard Law School, she was a member of the Board of Student Advisers. She became a member of the State Bar of Texasin 1992.

Elrod began her professional career by serving a two-year clerkshipfor federal district judge Sim Lakeof the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. After completing her clerkship, she became an associate at the national law firm Baker Bottsin 1994, where she practiced a wide variety of litigation matters for the next eight years.

In 2002, Governor Rick Perryappointed 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.

President George W. Bushnominated Elrod to a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit on March 29, 2007 to replace Judge Patrick Higginbotham, who took Senior statuson August 26, 2006. Elrod received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committeeon July 19, 2007, and was voted out of committee on September 20, 2007. She was confirmed by the United States Senateby voice voteon October 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 in Houston, Texas. Her first published opinion for the Fifth Circuit, United States v. Spencer, was released on January 14, 2008.