15 Facts About Stanwood Duval

Stanwood Duval was appointed by US President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Stanwood Duval was raised in Houma, the seat of Terrebonne Parish, where his father operated a successful insurance business and was prominent in community affairs.

Stanwood Duval graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and from the Louisiana State University Law School in 1966 with a Bachelor of Laws.

Stanwood Duval practiced law from 1966 to 1994 in Houma eventually becoming a senior partner of Duval, Funderburk, Sundbery and Lovell, LP.

At the age of 31, Duval served as an elected delegate to the 1973 Louisiana Constitutional Convention, where he served on committees for rules of procedure and for the executive branch.

Stanwood Duval succeeded Judge George Arceneaux, who was Stanwood Duval's former law partner, who died in office in 1993.

Stanwood Duval was the assistant city attorney of Houma from 1970 to 1972 and the attorney for the consolidated Terrebonne Parish government from 1988 to 1993.

Stanwood Duval was nominated by President Bill Clinton on July 15,1994, to a seat vacated by Judge George Arceneaux He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 28,1994, and received commission on September 29,1994.

Stanwood Duval served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules to the Judicial Conference of the United States Courts from 1997 to 2003, the Council of the Louisiana Law Institute from 1996 to 2000, and the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council from 2004 to 2007.

Stanwood Duval's service terminated on January 31,2017, due to retirement.

Stanwood Duval issued an injunction in 2000 which barred the State of Louisiana from issuing "Choose Life" vanity automobile license plates, as the legislature had approved in 1999.

Stanwood Duval ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood of America, which took the view that the choice of displaying the plates violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution because there was no alternative display available for supporters of abortion.

Stanwood Duval's opinion was unanimously reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on April 13,2005.

Stanwood Duval extended the time that hurricane evacuees could continue receiving taxpayer-funded hotel stays.

On March 3,2012, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Stanwood Duval's ruling, agreeing that the Corps had failed to maintain the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet.