Press Contact: Kirston Fortune, UT Law Communications, (512) 471.7330
Event Contact: Mona Martin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 210-472-4060
Fifth Circuit Conducts Investiture for Circuit Judge Edward C. Prado, Aug. 28
1972 Law School graduate has been federal district judge for two decades
AUSTIN, Texas—Edward C. Prado, a 1972 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, will be sworn in as circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit during an investiture ceremony in San Antonio at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28. Prado has been a federal district judge in San Antonio for almost two decades.
Judge Prado was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the Fifth Circuit last spring and on May 1 the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination. President Bush also signed Judge Prado’s commission on May 1 and Judge Prado officially began active service as a circuit judge on May 5.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals covers all federal appeals from the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and is headquartered in New Orleans.
“I want to congratulate Judge Prado on his confirmation and upcoming investiture to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals,” said UT Law Dean Bill Powers. “He is an outstanding choice. All of us at his Law School are very proud of him.”
Investiture is a formal, traditional court ceremony welcoming new judges to the bench. The ceremony is usually attended by family, friends, and colleagues of the new judge. The investiture, which is open to the public, will be held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral at 308 Avenue E with a reception immediately following.
The Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, Carolyn Dineen King, will preside over the ceremony that will be attended by judges on the Circuit. Judge King will be administering the oath.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Judge Prado received both his B.A. and J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. After completing law school, he served as a commissioned second lieutenant of the U.S. Army, remaining in the reserves as an infantry officer from 1972 to 1987.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Prado to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 1984. He has presided over hundreds of civil and criminal trials in his 19 years on the federal district bench.
Prior to this federal judicial service, Judge Prado served as Assistant District Attorney in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office from September 1972 to January 1976. He then took a job in the Federal Public Defender’s Office in the Western District of Texas as Assistant Public Defender. In 1980, he was appointed to serve as State District Judge in Bexar County, Texas. In 1981, President Reagan appointed Judge Prado to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
A respected member of his profession, Judge Prado has been a leader in numerous bar associations and law-related organizations. He has served as president of the San Antonio Bar Foundation, chairman of the Criminal Justice Review Act Committee, a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, and president of the Fifth Circuit District Judges Association. At present, he sits on the Board of the Federal Judges Association.
Judge Prado has received numerous honors and awards. He has also been actively
involved in community and charitable affairs. Judge Prado is known for his
participation in mentor programs with minority students in the San Antonio
area. He has introduced students to the law by conducting events in his courtroom
such as the annual “Trial of Santa Claus” for elementary school
students as well as more serious mock trials for high school students.