Carolyn Wright-Sanders (born September 27, 1946) is an American lawyer, jurist and a former Chief Justice of the

Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas The Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas is one of the 14 Texas Courts of Appeals. It currently sits in Dallas, Texas. It has simultaneously both the smallest Court of Appeals' jurisdictional geographic size (only six counties, one of which is shared ...

, serving in that position from November 17, 2009 to December 31, 2018.

Early life and education

Wright was born in Houston, Texas to Adell Willis Wright and his wife Alvora Christin née Lightfoot. She was raised in a career military family and during her childhood lived in a variety of locations in the United States as well as Japan. After high school she attended Strayer University, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the District of Columbia Teachers College and later received a Juris Doctor degree at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

. She credits her father with encouraging her to attend law school. She received her J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law, which later granted her a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Career

Returning to her home state of Texas, Wright founded her own law firm. In 1983 she became an associate judge in the family law courts. she ran for a family district bench two years later as a Republican. When she won she became the first African-American woman in Dallas to win a county-wide election. Governor

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

appointed her to the Fifth Court of Appeals as an associate justice in 1995. When Chief Justice Linda Thomas in 2009, Governor Perry appointed Wright to replace her as chief justice. Several hundred supporters and legal professionals attended her swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 4, 2010, when she became the first African American to become chief justice of any intermediate appellate court in Texas. In her role as Chief Justice, she presides over 12 other justices in the largest intermediate court in the state and one of the busiest courts in the United States.

Awards

Wright has received many awards, including the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Leadership Award; the American Bar Association Business Section's Award for contributions to women and proficiency in law; the

Yellow Rose of Texas Award The Commission of the Yellow Rose of Texas, commonly referred to as the Yellow Rose of Texas, is an honorary commission conferred by the Governor of Texas to Texas women for exceptional community service. History Genesis The award was con ...

for significant contributions to her community. She was appointed by Governor Clements to the Governor's Commission for Women. Governor Rick Perry inducted her into the

Texas Women's Hall of Fame The Texas Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1984 by the Governor's Commission on Women. The honorees are selected biennially from submissions from the public. The honorees must be either native Texans, or a resident of Texas at the time of th ...

in recognition of her 30 years public service as a civil, family and criminal judge.

Personal life

She is married to James Sanders.Obituary for Adell Wright
Obituary: Adell Wright

References

Black Texas Women: 150 Years of Trial and Triumph (2010)Judicial Profiles - Carolyn Wright (Fifth District Court of Appeals)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Carolyn 1946 births African-American judges African-American women lawyers African-American lawyers American women lawyers American women judges Howard University School of Law alumni Living people Texas state court judges 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women