Chief Justice Carolyn Wright Internship

The Dallas Bar Foundation established the Chief Justice Carolyn Wright Internship for Minority Law Students in 2020 after her retirement. The internship represents a legacy of excellence, professionalism and diversity epitomized by Chief Justice Carolyn Wright's career. When making the announcement about the internship, the Dallas Bar Foundation thanked Chief Justice Wright for having served as a mentor for over 20 years to the Dallas Bar Foundation Collins Clerks who were awarded a summer internship at the Fifth District Court of Appeals.

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In response to the announcement, Chief Justice Wright thanked the Trustees of the Dallas Bar Foundation for this honor. She spoke about how meaningful this internship was to her on a personal level and the importance of having a pipeline for diversity in the legal profession.

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Chief Justice Wright received her Juris Doctor degree at Howard University from which she later received a Distinguished Alumni award. She was the first African American woman in Dallas to win a countywide election when she became Judge of the 256th District Court of Texas. In 1995, she was appointed as an associate justice to the Fifth District Court of Appeals by Governor George Bush. When Chief Justice Wright was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeals on January 4, 2010, she became the first African American in Texas to become chief iustice of an intermediate appellate court in Texas.