Longtime Fifth Circuit Judge E. Grady Jolly Dies at 88
Judge E. Grady Jolly, who served on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for 35 years, died Monday. He was 88.
Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, Jolly was regarded as a conservative jurist who adhered to existing law and Supreme Court precedents. The court handles cases from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Jolly authored the majority opinion in 1986 that struck down a Louisiana law requiring the teaching of creationism in schools. The Supreme Court upheld the decision in Edwards v. Aguillard. In 2014, he wrote the majority opinion that declared unconstitutional a Mississippi law requiring abortion providers to obtain hospital admitting privileges, a move aimed at shutting down the state’s only abortion clinic. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed that ruling to stand in 2016.
The Mississippi native was recommended to the court by then-Senator Thad Cochran, who called Jolly’s service exemplary. Jolly, a University of Mississippi graduate, was Cochran’s campaign chairman when he first ran for Senate in 1978. Prior to his appointment, Jolly worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and a trial attorney for the Justice Department’s tax division.
Jolly took senior status in 2017, stepping back from full-time duties. Cochran praised his tenure, recalling that he believed Jolly would be an outstanding member of the court. Jolly and Cochran were close friends from their time at Ole Miss.
President Reagan’s nomination was confirmed by the Senate without opposition, after Cochran convinced the president to select Jolly. Jolly’s humor and quick wit were well-known, and his former law clerk, Ilya Shapiro, recounted a humorous exchange involving Johnny Cash.
Senator Roger Wicker called Jolly an “outstanding and respected jurist,” noting his dedication to the Constitution. Wicker added that Mississippi has lost a “giant.”
In a 2017 tribute, Cochran described Jolly as a “Renaissance man” with an acerbic wit and contagious humor. Jolly’s death marks the end of a notable judicial career marked by significant rulings and personal character.
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