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