The American Law Institute is pleased to announce that Carolyn Dineen King will be presented the John Minor Wisdom Award at the 2026 Annual Meeting. The Wisdom Award is given from time to time in specific recognition of an ALI member’s contributions to the work of the Institute or a person’s outstanding achievement in the area of civil rights and related fields following the example set by Judge Wisdom.
“It is a great honor to present the John Minor Wisdom Award to Judge Carolyn Dineen King,” said ALI President David F. Levi. “Judge King has long exemplified the principle that a life in the law carries obligations not only to clients and colleagues, but to the broader community that the law is meant to serve. Through her distinguished service on the Fifth Circuit, which reflected her commitment to careful judgment and the rule of law, and at The American Law Institute, where she has given so generously of her time and insight, she has demonstrated how a career in the law can be both intellectually demanding and deeply committed to the public good. Carolyn has been a deeply valued colleague and friend for many years. Her thoughtful presence in our deliberations and her spirit of collegiality have strengthened the Institute in ways that extend far beyond any single project.”
Born in Syracuse, New York, King was raised in a family deeply shaped by the law and by a strong sense of determination. Both of her parents were lawyers who reached the profession by unconventional paths. Her father attended Syracuse University College of Law directly from high school at a time when college was financially out of reach, later becoming a respected trial lawyer and leading the trial section at Bond, Schoeneck & King. Her mother first earned a master’s degree from Columbia University before pursuing journalism and eventually enrolling in Syracuse Law School after overcoming early resistance to women entering the legal profession. Their perseverance and commitment to the law created a household where curiosity, resilience, and public service were deeply valued.
After she graduated from Smith College, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts—at a time when many women were expected to leave school primarily prepared for marriage—King chose a different path. Encouraged by her father’s insistence that she always be able to support herself, she charted a course toward a professional life defined by independence, intellectual engagement, and determination. She attended Yale Law School, where she earned her Bachelor of Laws, and practiced law in Texas from 1962 to 1979, focusing primarily on corporate and federal securities law.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated King to a newly authorized seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She served as Chief Judge from 1999 to 2006, the first woman to do so. In 2000, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist appointed her to the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the governing body of the federal court system. King served as chair of the committee from 2002 to 2005, becoming the first woman to hold that position. During her tenure as chair, she led the development of a major cost containment strategy to enable the federal courts to cope with shrinking appropriations. In 2013, she assumed senior status.
King was elected to The American Law Institute in 1982 and to its Council in 1992. She has played a significant leadership role within the Institute, including serving as Treasurer from 2010 to 2013 and as chair of the Membership Committee. She has also contributed as a U.S. Adviser to ALI’s Transnational Insolvency Project and as an Adviser to the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability.
In addition to her work on the bench and with ALI, a commitment to nonprofit service has been an integral part of King’s life since she was 13 years old. She has been active in numerous human services, educational, and health-related organizations in Houston, Texas. Her many honors include the Smith College Medal, the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Award, the American College of Bankruptcy Distinguished Service Award, and the federal judiciary’s highest honor, the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, which she received in 2007.
The John Minor Wisdom Award will be presented to King by Lee H. Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Monday, May 18, at ALI’s 2026 Annual Meeting.
***
About The American Law Institute
The American Law Institute is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law. The ALI drafts, discusses, revises, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Model Codes, and Principles of Law that are influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education. By participating in the Institute’s work, its distinguished members have the opportunity to influence the development of the law in both existing and emerging areas, to work with other eminent lawyers, judges, and academics, to support the rule of law and the legal system, and to contribute to the public good.