SLS 19RS-1460 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 122
BY SENATOR TARVER
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Carl E. Stewart on the end of his term as chief judge of
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and his return to the bench.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Carl E. Stewart on the end of his outstanding term as Chief Judge of the
3 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and his return to active duty on
4 the bench.
5 WHEREAS, Carl Stewart was born to Corine and Richard Stewart, a postal worker,
6 on January 2, 1950, in Shreveport, Louisiana; and
7 WHEREAS, growing up in the southern United States, he was inspired by both the
8 dedication of those involved in the civil rights movement and by the ability of the courts and
9 attorneys to often right the wrongs of society and to bring about a measure of justice; and
10 WHEREAS, Carl Stewart sought to be an agent for social change, he was diligent
11 in his academic studies, and began to fulfill his goal of becoming an attorney when he
12 entered Dillard University in New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors,
13 magna cum laude; and
14 WHEREAS, he earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans
15 College of Law in 1974 and began his practice of the law that same year as a captain in the
16 Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Army serving as defense attorney for
17 soldiers facing charges at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and
18 WHEREAS, following his honorable discharge from the Army, Carl Stewart became
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SLS 19RS-1460 ORIGINAL
1 an associate at a small private law firm and in 1978 he joined a field office under Louisiana
2 Attorney General, William J. Guste; and
3 WHEREAS, in 1979, he became an assistant United States attorney and worked on
4 a variety of cases, including the successful prosecution of a loan shark who preyed on the
5 poor, a sheriff who paid for votes in a reelection run, and an unscrupulous land owner who
6 filed false flood relief claims and Carl Stewart was awarded a letter of commendation from
7 the United States Justice Department for his work on civil rights cases in 1982 and 1983; and
8 WHEREAS, he left the Justice Department in 1983 and returned to Shreveport to a
9 private practice and an adjunct professorship at Louisiana State University in Shreveport and
10 in 1984 he was elected to a six-year term as a First Judicial District judge for Caddo Parish;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, in Judge Stewart's career in the judiciary, at both the state and national
13 level, he has been lauded by attorneys who came before him, earning admiration for his "fine
14 judicial manner," "(that he) is careful to treat all parties with the same attitude and concern;"
15 and as "a splendid judge, excellent in every respect;" and
16 WHEREAS, on January 27, 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Stewart
17 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is located in New Orleans,
18 Louisiana, and on May 6, 1994 he was confirmed by the United States Senate and he
19 received his commission on May 9, 1994; and
20 WHEREAS, Judge Stewart became Chief Judge in 2012 and will end his term in that
21 capacity on September 30, 2019 and return to active status on the bench on October 1, 2019;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, Judge Carl Stewart has been active in an array of professional
24 organizations during his career, but it is in his commitment to his community and its people
25 that his greatest accomplishments, aside from his inspiring work as a federal judge, should
26 be noted, including, working to make a better community through Centenary College of
27 Louisiana Board of Trustees, LSU in Shreveport Chancellor's advisory committee, as
28 president of the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier, and as an active member of
29 St. James United Methodist Church; and
30 WHEREAS, he has earned a great many accolades such as, the Liberty Bell Award
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1 presented by the Shreveport Bar Association, Dillard University's Distinguished Alumnus
2 of the Year, Raymond Pace Alexander Award and the Judge William H. Hastie Award both
3 presented by the National Bar Association, the Clyde E. Fant Memorial Award for
4 Outstanding Community Service, the 2008 A.P. Tureaud Achievement Award from the
5 Loyola University School of Law Black Law Students Association, the 2008 The Times
6 Leadership Award sponsored by the Shreveport Times and the Alliance for Education and
7 he was also named Louisiana Outstanding Young Man of the Year by the Louisiana Chapter
8 of the Jaycees, and was the recipient of the Black Leader of the Year award from the
9 Southern University Shreveport-Bossier Afro-American Society; and
10 WHEREAS, since 1972 he has been married to the former Jo Ann Southall, who is
11 a registered nurse and the couple have three grown children and three grandchildren; and
12 WHEREAS, Judge Carl Stewart has led an exemplary life, working diligently as an
13 attorney and a judge, being a family man and a person of faith, but primarily, Judge Stewart
14 has been involved for more than forty-five years working for justice for all people and taking
15 on the task of the bettering lives of people he has never met by ensuring that his decision in
16 every case has been deeply considered and founded in the bedrock of the values enshrined
17 in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution that are the birthright
18 of every American.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby commend Carl E. Stewart on the end of his outstanding term as Chief Judge of
21 the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and his return to active duty on the
22 bench.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Carl
24 Stewart, Chief Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 122 Original 2019 Regular Session Tarver
Commends Carl E. Stewart on the end of his outstanding term as Chief Judge of the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and his return to active duty on the bench.
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