Don Willett serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Before joining the federal judiciary, Judge Willett served a dozen years on the Supreme Court of Texas. He has devoted his professional life to public service, and prior to becoming a judge, he served as legal counsel to a Texas Attorney General, a Texas Governor, a U.S. Attorney General, and the President of the United States.
Raised by a widowed mom in a doublewide trailer in a town of 32 people, Judge Willett is his family’s first college graduate. He earned a triple-major BBA from Baylor University and then three degrees from Duke University: JD with honors, MA in political science, and LLM in judicial studies.
After law school, he clerked for Judge Jerre S. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and then practiced law at Haynes and Boone, LLP before entering public service.
Judge Willett publishes widely and speaks frequently throughout the country. He is a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law and will soon be the Jurist in Residence at J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He is the former editor in chief of Judicature—The Scholarly Journal For Judges, and has been honored four years in a row for “exemplary legal writing” by The Green Bag. He is a member of the American Law Institute, and a Life Fellow of the American, Texas, and Austin Bar Foundations.
A native Texan, Judge Willett is a former rodeo bull rider and professional drummer, and in 2015 he was named the Tweeter Laureate of Texas. He and his radiant wife, Tiffany, are the exhausted cofounders of three wee Willetts.
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Civic Illiteracy and the Rule of Law
Notre Dame Student Chapter
Notre Dame Law School Eck Hall of Law 1130Eck Hall of Law
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Qualified Immunity: A Discussion
Harvard Student Chapter
Zoom Webinar -- Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School
Cambridge, MA 02138
An Evening with Judge Don Willett
Texas Student Chapter
Zoom Webinar -- University of TexasVirtual
Austin, TX 78705
A Conversation with Fifth Circuit Judge Don R. Willett
Augusta Lawyers Chapter - Online Event
Online EventFrom Duke Law to the Bench
Duke Student Chapter
Duke University School of Law210 Science Dr
Durham, NC 27708
Technology, Social Media and Professional Ethics
2018 National Lawyers Convention
To what extent can the legal community engage in social media: a critical means to...
Technology, Social Media and Professional Ethics
2018 National Lawyers Convention
To what extent can the legal community engage in social media: a critical means to...
Religious Liberty and Conscience Rights in the Trump Era
2018 Texas Chapters Conference
On September 7-8, 2018, the Federalist Society's Fort Worth Lawyers Chapter hosted the fourth annual...
Religious Liberty and Conscience Rights in the Trump Era
2018 Texas Chapters Conference
On September 7-8, 2018, the Federalist Society's Fort Worth Lawyers Chapter hosted the fourth annual...
Liberty Month Revisited: The Tweeter Laureate of Texas Discusses Judges' Use of Social Media
This month we are sharing a selection of pieces from The Federalist Society's Liberty Month...