Fifth Circuit ‘Progressive Icon’ Dennis Has Served as Soldier, Legislator, Judge

Judge James L. Dennis is a “progressive icon” within his home state who counterbalances the more conservative judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, one of his former clerks says.

Dennis focuses on fitting his decisions within existing precedent while analyzing legal problems from different perspectives, his former clerks say.

Since taking his seat on the Fifth Circuit, Dennis has weighed in on disputes ranging from the Second Amendment rights of undocumented immigrants to whether corporations can be held liable for Hurricane Katrina.

The judge showed a knack for winning elections before being appointed to the ...