The Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod joined South Texas College of Law Houston as the jurist in residence in fall 2022. She serves as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, with chambers in Houston. Prior to her confirmation, Judge Elrod was appointed and twice elected judge of the 190th District Court of Harris County, where she spent six years presiding over more than 200 jury and non-jury trials. Judge Elrod is an elected member of the American Law Institute and serves on the Texas State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges and the Board of Directors of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism.

Judge Elrod is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Baylor University, which recently recognized her as an Outstanding Young Alumna. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was an Ames Moot Court finalist and senior editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Sim Lake of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Before taking the bench, Judge Elrod was in private practice, focusing on civil litigation, antitrust, and employment matters.