The Honorable Carl E. Stewart received his B.A. degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Dillard University and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. Immediately following admission to the Louisiana Bar Association in October 1974, he entered the United States Army and served as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Following his service as a military lawyer, he has served as a Staff Attorney with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, Assistant United States Attorney, Special Assistant City and District Attorney, and private practitioner.

In 1985, he was elected as a District Judge for the First Judicial District Court of Caddo Parish, Louisiana and was reelected without opposition six years later. In 1991, again without opposition, he was elected to the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal. On May 9, 1994, he was appointed by President William J. Clinton to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. On October 1, 2012, Judge Stewart became the first African-American Chief Judge on the Fifth Circuit. His seven-year term ended on September 30, 2019.

Judge Stewart is a charter member of the Harry V. Booth and Judge Henry A. Politz Chapters of American Inns of Court. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States and currently serves as its Strategic Planning Coordinator. He is a past chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Judge Stewart serves on the Dillard University New Orleans, Louisiana Board of Trustees. He is an Honorary Master of the Bench, Middle Temple Inn of Court, London, England. The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation presented Judge Stewart with the 35th Annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award in 2019, our nation’s highest honor bestowed upon an Article III federal judge. He has served in several capacities with the Boy Scouts of America Norwela Council, the Southern Region, as well as the National Boy Scouts of America. He is the recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Silver Buffalo Awards for volunteer services to scouting at the local, regional and national levels.

Publications authored by Judge Stewart include: “Diversity Jurisdiction: A Storied Past, A Flexible Future,” 2017 Ainsworth Memorial Lecture, LOYOLA LAW REVIEW, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, 63 Loy. L. Rev. 207 (2017); “Abuse of Power & Judicial Misconduct: A Reflection on Contemporary Ethical Issues Facing Judges,” THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS LAW JOURNAL, The University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2003; “Balancing Professionalism, Ethics, Quality of Life and the Successful Practice of Law,” THE SOUTHWESTERN LEGAL FOUNDATION, PROCEEDINGS OF THE FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL INSTITUTE ON LABOR LAW DEVELOPMENTS, 1999; and “Contemporary Challenges to Judicial Independence,” LOYOLA LAW REVIEW, Loyola University School of Law, 1997.