--- title: "Dana Marie Douglas | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Dana Marie Douglas U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American jurist and United States circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022 - Douglas held the role of a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 2019 to 2022 - Law clerk, Hon. Ivan L. R. Lemelle, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 2000-2001 - Partner for 17 years at the New Orleans office of Liskow & Lewis, a firm specializing in energy and oil law - In summary: Dana Marie Douglas is a New Orleans native, former public servant and private attorney, now a federal appellate judge, recognized for her legal career, diversity on the bench, and active role in shaping Fifth Circuit jurisprudence ### Education - Loyola University New Orleans School of Law — J.D. (2000) - Miami University (Ohio) — B.A. (1997) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Louisiana, 2019-present - 28, 2026) and Doe v. - On June 15, 2022, President Biden nominated her to the Fifth Circuit, replacing James L. Dennis. - Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: July 27, 2022 - Judicial commission issued: December 16, 2022 - Committee report: September 15, 2022 (16–6 vote) - Senate confirmation: December 13, 2022, by a 65–31 vote - Private practice, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2001-2018 - New Orleans Civil Service Commission (2004–2013), serving as commissioner and vice president. - Born 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. - Date of birth: 1975 - focusing on civil rights and criminal defense. - Douglas has authored opinions and sat on panels in a range of cases, including Pena v. - Planned Parenthood. - The first Black woman to serve on the Fifth Circuit. - She also graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans. - Her recent cases involve civil rights, municipal law, and federal statutory interpretation. - Douglas grew up in New Orleans, the daughter of Ida Woodfork and Daniel Douglas, in a family with strong ties to public service. - Birth place: New Orleans ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12942526) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12942526) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12942526) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9269/dana-marie-douglas/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9269/dana-marie-douglas/) - [Judge Dana Marie Douglas](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12942526) - [Wikidata: Dana Douglas](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112584133) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas", "name": "Dana Marie Douglas | KnowJudges", "description": "Dana Marie Douglas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas#judge", "name": "Dana Marie Douglas", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas", "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/12942526", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9269/dana-marie-douglas/" ], "birthDate": "1975", "birthPlace": "New Orleans", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Miami University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Loyola University New Orleans School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "National federal courts", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dana Marie Douglas", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dana-marie-douglas" } ] } ] } ```