--- title: "Priscilla Richman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/priscilla-richman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Priscilla Richman 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 - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2005-present - She held the role of Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit from 2019 to 2024 - Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, 1995-2005 - Richman has been recognized as Young Lawyer of the Year by Baylor University and as an Outstanding Young Alumna ### Education - She then attended Baylor Law School, where she held the role of editor of the Baylor Law Review and graduated cum laude with a — J.D. (1977) - Baylor University — B.A. (1975) - Richman began her college education at the University of Texas at Austin and later transferred to Baylor University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude. ### Additional information - Judge, 2006-2006 - received her commission on June 3, 2005, filling the seat vacated by William L. Garwood. - First nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2001, though her nomination faced multiple returns and resubmissions under Senate rules. - Practitioner, 1994-1994 - Private practice, Houston, TX, 1978-1994 - At age 23, she achieved the highest score on the Texas bar exam in December 1977. - Priscilla Richman was born on October 4, 1954, in Palacios, Texas, and spent her early years on her family's farm in Collegeport before growing up in Waco, Texas. - Date of birth: 1954-10-04 - After law school, Richman joined Andrews & Kurth in Houston, specializing in oil and gas litigation. - Richfield High School - She worked part-time during high school and college at her stepfather's insurance company and also helped with rice fields and cattle during summers in Collegeport. - She became a partner at age 30 and handled a wide range of civil matters at both trial and appellate levels. - She was admitted to practice before multiple state and federal courts and became a member of the American Law Institute, American Judicature Society, and American Bar Association, as well as a Fellow of the American and Houston Bar Foundations. - She has also served on advisory boards, including the Federalist Society and the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Court-Annexed Mediations. - Birth place: Palacios, TX ## 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/1392271) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392271) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392271) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2480/priscilla-richman-owen/) - [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/2480/priscilla-richman-owen/) - [Wikidata: Priscilla Richman](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7245617) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/priscilla-richman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/priscilla-richman", "name": "Priscilla Richman | KnowJudges", "description": "Priscilla Richman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 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