Background
King, Carolyn Dineen was born on January 30, 1938 in Syracuse, New York, United States. Daughter of Robert E. and Carolyn E. (Bareham) Dineen.
King, Carolyn Dineen was born on January 30, 1938 in Syracuse, New York, United States. Daughter of Robert E. and Carolyn E. (Bareham) Dineen.
Judge King graduated summa cum laude from Smith College in 1959, and earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1962.
Her chambers are in Houston, Texas. After the United States Attorney's office in Houston denied her a position as an Assistant United States Attorney—she believes it was because she was a woman—she joined Fulbright & Jaworski as a corporate and securities lawyer. From 1962 to 1979, she was in private practice in Houston.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the Fifth Circuit, where she has written over 4400 opinions. In 1999, King became the first woman to serve as Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, a position that she held until 2006. In 2002, at the request of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, she became the first woman to chair the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Judge King assumed senior status on December 31, 2013. King was elected to the American Law Institute in 1985 and was elected to the ALI Council in 1991. She served as ALI's Treasurer from May 2010 to May 2013.
Judge King served under the name "Carolyn Dineen Randall" from 1979 to 1988. Judge King is widely considered to be a political and judicial moderate.
Trustee, member Executive Committee, treasurer Houston Ballet Foundation, 1967-1970. Trustee, member Executive Committee, chairman of the board of trustees U. St. Thomas, 1988-1998. Mem.Houston district advisory county Small Business Administration, 1972-1976.
Member Dallas regional panel President's Commission White House Fellowships, 1972-1976, member of commission, 1977. Board of directors Houston chapter American Heart Association, 1978-1979. National trustee Palmer Drug Abuse Program, 1978-1979.
Trustee, secretary, treasurer, chairman audit committee, finance committee, member management committee United Way Texas Gulf Coast, 1979-1985. Member American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American Law Institute (county since 1991, chairman membership committee since 1997), State Bar Texas, Houston Bar Association.
Children: James Randall, Philip Randall, Stephen Randall. Married John L. King, January 1, 1988.