Judge Catharina Haynes was appointed as a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in April of 2008, having been confirmed by the Senate. Prior to taking the federal bench, she served eight years as a state district judge in Dallas (having run for office). In addition to her judicial service, Judge Haynes spent thirteen years in private practice, including serving as a partner at a large law firm. She is board certified in Consumer and Commercial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Judge Haynes was born and grew up in Brevard County, Florida. In 1983, she graduated with highest honors from the Florida Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Psychology. In 1986, she received a J.D. with distinction from the Emory University School of Law, where she was a Notes and Comments Editor of the Emory Law Journal and a member of Order of the Coif.

Judge Haynes has been actively involved in the legal community for many years including serving on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Bar Association, on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Emory University School of Law, as Chair of the Appellate Judges Education Institute, and as Chair of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division. She has also served on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and just concluded her service on the Federal Judicial Center Appellate Judge Education Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Higginbotham Inn of Court where she currently serves as a “Master of the Bench.” She is also a member of the Ford Inn of Court.

Judge Haynes has received several awards including the 2024 Serjeant of the Inn Award from the Higginbotham Inn and 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from Emory University School of Law; as well she is a two-time recipient of the Dallas Bar Association’s Jo Anna Moreland Outstanding Committee Chair Award and a recipient of the Award of Excellence from the DAYL Foundation and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Florida Tech Alumni Association. She is happily receiving the 2025 Dallas Bar Association’s Hon. Barbara M.G. Lynn Jurist of the Year Award. As a result of her summer in Dallas, she and her husband, Craig, met each other (40 years ago) that summer and recently had their 37th wedding anniversary.