Stephen Andrew Higginson at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- November 2, 2011–present
Stephen Andrew Higginson
Judge · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Available research
Biography
Professional career
- Associate professor, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, 2004-2011
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Louisiana, 1993-2011
- Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1989-1993
- Law clerk, Hon. Byron White, Supreme Court of the United States, 1988-1989
- Law clerk, Hon. Patricia Wald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1987-1988
Judicial service
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2011-present
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Education
- Harvard University · A.B., 1983
- Yale University · J.D., 1987
- University of Cambridge · M.Phil., 1992
Personal record
Born 1961 · Boston, MA
Courtroom rules and guidance
Appellate Oral Argument
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
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393836CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1455/stephen-andrew-higginson/Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedureFederal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
Identity source · TEXT · checked September 8, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv