Kerry and his wife, Kathy, have five children and three grandchildren.  Kathy has worked for years as a volunteer at North Dallas Shared Ministries.  They are members of St. Patrick Catholic Church.  He serves as Eucharistic Minister and is a member of the St. Thomas More Society and the Knights of Columbus.

 

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Justice Fitzgerald is a Justice on the Fifth District Court of Appeals.  The Court of Appeals decides criminal, civil, family, juvenile, and probate matters that are appealed from the trial courts in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Grayson, Kaufman, and Hunt Counties.  He has served on the Fifth District Court of Appeals since his appointment in 1999.  He was elected in 2000, and re-elected to a full six year term in 2002.

 

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Chief, Appellate Section, Dallas County District Attorney's Office:  Supervised the appellate section representing the State of Texas by (1) filing briefs in all criminal appeals, (2) filing the State's appeals in appropriate cases, (3) filing responses in post-conviction applications for writs of habeas corpus in capital and non-capital cases, and (4) advising prosecutors in tiral section.

 

Private Practice (30 years):  Represented individuals, and corporations in civil and criminal litigation at trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts.  Wrote appellate briefs filed in Texas and Federal appellate courts and presented oral arguments.

 

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University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, J.D.

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, B.B.A.

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

Supreme Court of Texas; United States Supreme Court

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas

 

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Presents "Responsible Choices: A Journey Through The Texas Judicial System" Program to students and adult organizations.  The program stresses core principles, including morals and integrity, personal responsibility and accountability, the importance of making the right choices, and earning a good education.

 

Serves as guest speaker at several area schools and various youth programs, including the Southwest Youth Leadership Conference.

 

Participates in Dallas Bar Association's annual summer Law School Intern Program, the Law Student Professionalism program, the e-Mentoring program, and the Transition to Law Practice Program; coordinator and moderator of annual three hour Ethics Program; Participated on Court of Appeals panel of three Justices which heard oral arguments in a pending civil case at Lake Highlands High School in a program entitled "Appealing to the Public" sponsored by the Law in the Schools and Community Committee of Dallas Bar Association; Judge at the Texas High School Mock Trial Program and Southern Methodist University Law School Moot Court Competition.

 

Board Certified, Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization; Former President, Texas Association of Certified Specialists in Criminal Law; Former Director and frequent speaker on state and federal appellate practice at Advanced Criminal Law Course, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas.

 

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Rules Advisory Committee (Current Member)

 

Texas Bar Journal Editorial Board (Current Member)

 

Former Member of Legislative Subcommittee (analysis of Texas Rules of Evidence); Former member of Dallas Merit Selection Panel (recommends candidates for United States Magistrate Judge to the United States District Judges for the Northern District of Texas at Dallas); Served as assistant foreman of a Dallas County Grand Jury.

 

Former Editor, Voice for the Defense magazine and the Significant Decisions Report, published by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; Recipient of President's Award of Excellence, 1989, and President's Award for outstanding service, 1992 and 1994.

 

Speaker at legal conferences, seminars, and programs, and participant on judicial panels sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, the State Bar College "Summer School," the Texas Center for the Judiciary, University of Texas School of Law (2007 Robert O. Dawson Conference on Criminal Appeals), Dallas Bar Association, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Collin County Bar Association, Collin County Young Lawyers Association, Grayson County Bar Association, Rockwall County Bar Association, Trans Pecos Bar Association, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, and the Council of Appellate Lawyers of the American Bar Association on subjects including "Ethics, The Private Practioner and The Grievance Committee Process in Texas," professionalism, appellate rules and procedure, and other state and federal topics; Delivered Commencement Address, Windham School District GED Graduation Ceremony at Hutchins State Jail (2008).

 

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