---
title: "E. Grady Jolly | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/e-grady-jolly-1651"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# E. Grady Jolly

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: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1982-present
- Nominated by President Ronald Reagan on July 1, 1982, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, filling the seat vacated by Judge James P. Coleman
- Trial attorney, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1967-1969
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Mississippi, 1964-1967

### Education

- Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi in 1959 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Mississippi Law School in 1962.
- University of Mississippi School of Law — J.D.

### Additional information

- He assumed senior status on October 3, 2017, and took inactive senior status in October 2025.
- received his commission on July 30, 1982.
- Private practice, Jackson, MS, 1969-1982
- Trial attorney, National Labor Relations Board, Winston-Salem, NC, 1962-1964
- Elbert Grady Jolly Jr. was born on October 3, 1937, in Louisville, Mississippi.
- Date of birth: 1937-01-01
- His early legal career included work as a trial attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and a lawyer in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice before entering private practice in Jackson, Mississippi.
- Grady Jolly’s career spanned over four decades on the Fifth Circuit, leaving a legacy of integrity, legal rigor, and mentorship.
- His decisions on constitutional issues, particularly regarding education and reproductive rights, remain influential, and he is remembered as a model of judicial professionalism and dedication to the rule of law.
- Birth place: Louisville, MS

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1651/e-grady-jolly/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1651/e-grady-jolly/)
- [Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1651/e-grady-jolly/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1651/e-grady-jolly/)
- [Jolly, E. Grady](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/jolly-e-grady)
- [Wikidata: E. Grady Jolly](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5321883)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure — oral argument](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8fb211e6453074c213f986a2) — Ordinary United States Courts of Appeals only. December 1, 2024 compilation; dated source baseline, not certification of all later amendments or circuit-specific local rules. Excludes CAAF and administrative boards. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure-dec-1-2024_0.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.