---
title: "W. Eugene Davis | KnowJudges"
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page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# W. Eugene Davis

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: senior
- 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, 1983-present
- As of 2026, Davis remains a senior circuit judge on the Fifth Circuit, continuing to hear cases from his New Orleans chambers
- Judge, District Court, W.D. Louisiana, 1976-1983
- Senior United States circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, with chambers in New Orleans, Louisiana

### Education

- Samford University — BA (awarded in 2006 after prior study)
- Tulane University of Louisiana — J.D. (1960)
- Tulane University Law School — J.D., 1960; member of the Tulane Law Review and Order of the Coif.

### Additional information

- Assumed senior status on December 31, 2016, but continues to hear cases.
- He also served on the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (appointed by Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 1995).
- Served until December 9, 1983, when elevated to the Fifth Circuit.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Nominated by President Ronald Reagan on November 1, 1983, to replace Robert A. Ainsworth Jr. Confirmed by the Senate on November 15, 1983, and commissioned November 16, 1983.
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana Nominated by President Gerald Ford on August 5, 1976, to replace Richard Johnson Putnam.
- Confirmed by the Senate on September 17, 1976, and commissioned September 21, 1976.
- Before joining the federal bench, Davis practiced law in New Orleans (1960–1964) and New Iberia, Louisiana (1964–1976).
- Private practice, New Orleans, LA, 1960-1964
- Born August 18, 1936, in Winfield, Alabama.
- Date of birth: 1936-01-01
- Recognized for his long service, procedural leadership, and contributions to federal appellate jurisprudence.
- Appointed to Fifth Circuit: Nov.
- Birth place: Winfield, AL

## 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/1379861)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1379861)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1379861)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/826/william-eugene-davis/)
- [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/826/william-eugene-davis/)
- [Wikidata: W. Eugene Davis](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7945506)

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