Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, ’77, Takes Senior Status

Federal Judges In Texas, Louisiana Taking Senior Status

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Southern District of Texas and U.S. District Judge Lance Africk of the Eastern District of Louisiana announced this week that they are taking senior status in the coming months.

The judges provided notification on Wednesday of their plans to take senior status. Judge Rosenthal was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and Judge Africk was appointed by President George W. Bush.

Judge Rosenthal told Law360 Pulse on Friday that she "will be an active senior judge" after her change in status takes effect Dec. 1 and that she intends "to keep a full caseload, while creating a vacancy for an additional judge to help our very busy district."

"Senior can mean retired, but it does not in my case," Judge Rosenthal said.

Appointed in 1992, Judge Rosenthal served as chief of Texas' Southern District from 2016 to 2022. The 71-year-old jurist practiced with Baker Botts LLP for 14 years prior to her appointment to the federal bench and earned her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

Read more at Law360