As Gregg Costa neared graduation at Dartmouth College in 1994, he faced a choice: Follow his dream and go directly to law school or take a couple gap years and get a job. He chose the latter. The decision changed his life forever. Last week, Costa stepped down as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to return to private practice, stunning nearly everyone in the legal community and left lawyers and judges asking why a 50-year-old just one step away from the U.S. Supreme Court would give up a lifetime appointment.
In an exclusive interview with The Texas Lawbook, Costa said there were a handful of reasons. At 50, he believed he needed a change. The makeup of the Fifth Circuit left the more moderate Costa in the minority on issue after issue. But Costa’s decision to leave the Fifth Circuit – like many of his biggest career choices – can be traced back to Sunflower, Mississippi, an impoverished town of 1,100 and his two years of teaching third and fourth graders.
Photo: Sharon Ferranti