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.
Flunking on the Founders: Civil Illiteracy and the Rule of Law
Phoenix Lawyers Chapter
Snell & Wilmer LLP400 East Van Buren Street, #1900
Phoenix, AZ 85004
2019 Judge Rudolph T. Randa Lecture
Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter
The University Club924 E. Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Flunking on the Founders: Civic Illiteracy and the Rule of Law
Boston College Student Chapter
Boston College Law School885 Centre St.
Newton, MA 02459
Technology, Social Media and Professional Ethics
2018 National Lawyers Convention
The Mayflower Hotel - State Room1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Closing: Reception Recognizing the Newly Confirmed Fifth Circuit Judges
2018 Texas Chapters Conference
Fort Worth Convention Center1201 Houston Street
Fort Worth, TX 76101
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...