 Hello, I'm Javier Hernandez reporting from Washington. Over the last 10 years, Judge Carolyn King helped guide her circuit and the judiciary through some challenging times. Her leadership earned her one of the most prestigious awards for federal judges. The American Judicature Society first presented the Edward J. DeVitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award in 1982. Over the last 25 years, the recipients were mostly men. To one exception was Judge Diana Murphy, a co-recipient in 2000. This year, Judge Carolyn King of the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit is the second woman to receive the award. If you believe that women are particularly well qualified to be lawyers and judges, then it would be better if I were the 15th and there were many more in front of me. The DeVitt Award honors Article III judges whose exemplary careers are marked with significant contributions to the administration of justice, the advancement of the rule of law, and improvements to society as a whole. Former President Jimmy Carter appointed King to the bench in 1979. In 1999, she was the first woman to be Chief of the Fifth Circuit. There, she's helped draw attention to the Southwest Border Court's enormous drug trafficking and immigration caseload. Every citizen of this country has a stake in what is happening along the Southwest Border. They have a stake not only because the drugs that are coming across that border are destined for their city and for their children, but they have a stake also because the rule of law that emerges from this is going to be the rule of law for them as well as for the border. She also led courts in her circuit as they recovered from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Caroline King, a Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, was absolutely fabulous. She got on the phone right away. First thing we had to do was get legislation passed by Congress so that we could even sit outside the district. I would have been like, duh, okay, didn't know we had to do that. And she really spearheaded that as chair of the Judicial Council and conference and so on. King became the chair of the committee in 2002, which was also a first for a woman. But she'll be remembered most for her leadership through the budget crisis six years ago. She helped the judiciary develop cost containment strategies that made the most of shrinking appropriations. I think federal judges and our staff and the staff at the AO are willing to tackle the hard problems and are willing to take ownership of their own institution and to manage it in a way that's not only in the best interests of the litigants but also in the best interests of the taxpayers. King no longer chairs the Judicial Conference Committee but still serves in the Fifth Circuit. She'll receive the Devet Award at a ceremony later this fall. The AJS is a nonpartisan organization of judges and lawyers that seek to improve the justice system. Reporting from Washington, I'm Javier Hernandez.