James Earl Graves Jr. at a glance
- Current role
- U.S. Circuit Judge
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
James Earl Graves Jr.
U.S. Circuit Judge · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge · Not Current In Effective Roster · February 15, 2011–Not Current In Effective Roster · Assignment source ↗
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge · Active · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- Barack Obama
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2011-present
- American jurist who has held the role of a United States circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit since February 15, 2011
- In summary: James Earl Graves Jr. is a seasoned jurist with a career in public service, private practice, and state judicial leadership, now serving on the Fifth Circuit since 2011
- He held the role of Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 2001 to 2011, including as Presiding Justice from 2009 to 2011.
- Judge, Mississippi Circuit Court, Seventh Judicial District, 1991-2001
- Adjunct professor, Jackson State University, 1980-1997
- In 1991, Graves was appointed and later elected Hinds County Circuit Court Judge
- Director, Division of Child Support Enforcement, Mississippi Department of Human Services, 1990-1991
- Special assistant attorney general, State of Mississippi, 1986-1990
Education
- M.P.A. — Syracuse University — 1981
- He later received a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law (1980) and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse’s Maxwell School (1981).
- The son of a Baptist minister, Graves graduated valedictorian from Sumner High School in Clinton, MS, then obtained a B.A. in Sociology from Millsaps College in 1975.
Additional information
- He has been a Teaching Team Member at Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop since 1998 and has taught at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University, and was jurist-in-residence at Syracuse University School of Law.
- West Texas A&M (2026) and Starbucks v.
- Graves was nominated by President Barack Obama on January 5, 2011, to replace Rhesa H. Barksdale, confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2011, and commissioned the next day.
- legis, 2000-2000
- prof, 2000-2000
- Private practice, Jackson, MS, 1983-1986
- Graves began as a staff attorney at Central Mississippi Legal Services (1980–1983), followed by private practice in Jackson, MS.
- Born 1953 in Clinton, Mississippi.
- Date of birth: 1953-01-01
- Graves’ appellate work spans areas such as tribal jurisdiction, fair housing, and civil rights litigation.
- Recent cases include Crawford v.
- NLRB.
- He sits on the Fifth Circuit, which covers federal appellate cases for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
- He has authored opinions and concurrences, and continues to contribute to legal education.
- Birth place: Hinds County, MS
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Oral argument
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.
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 unnecessaryFederal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument ↗
Sources
Identity source checked July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory · effective February 15, 2011 · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument ↗