Robert Manley Parker

Robert Manley Parker (born October 19, 1937) is a retired U.S. federal appeals court judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Early life and education

Born in Longview, Texas, Parker grew up in Hallsville, Texas and was named class president of his class at Hallsville High School.^[1]

After high school, Parker entered Kilgore College before entering the United States Naval Academy. He returned to Texas in 1958, got married and began taking classes part-time at East Texas Baptist University and Abilene Christian University.^[2]

Parker earned a bachelor's degree in 1961 from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1964.^[3]

Professional career

Parker worked in private legal practice in Gilmer, Texas from 1964 until 1965, and then in his native Longview in 1965. From 1965 until 1966, he worked as an administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Ray Roberts. He then worked in private law practice in Longview from 1966 until 1971, in private legal practice in Fort Worth, Texas from 1971 until 1972, and back in Longview as a partner in the firm Nichols & Parker from 1972 until joining the federal bench in 1979.^[4][5]

Federal judicial service

On February 6, 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated Parker to a newly created seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Parker was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 24, 1979. He became the chief judge of his district from 1990 until 1994.^[6]

On January 27, 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Parker to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to fill the seat vacated by Samuel D. Johnson, Jr., who had taken senior status in May 1991. The United States Senate confirmed Parker on June 15, 1994.^[7]

Rather than take senior status, Parker retired outright from the federal bench on November 1, 2002 and chose to go back to private legal practice.^[8]

Today, Parker works for the law firm of Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth in Tyler, Texas, specializing in patent litigation, business litigation and arbitration.^[9]

References

Sources

• Robert Manley Parker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.