Hon. Ed Kinkeade

James Edgar Kinkeade (born October 22, 1951) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Education and Career

Born in Denton, Texas, the son of the late Dr. Henry H. Kinkeade and Mrs. Henry H. Kinkeade, Judge Kinkeade’s father pastored Irving’s First Baptist Church for 32 years. Kinkeade received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University, where he meet his wife Melissa, in 1973, a Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School in 1974, and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998.

He was in private practice from 1974-1980, becoming partner at the firm of Power and Kinkeade in Irving. In 1981, Judge Kinkeade left private practice at the age of 29 when he was elected judge of County Criminal Court No. 10 in Dallas. Eight months later, he was appointed judge of the 194th Judicial District Court. After seven years on the district bench, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals, Fifth District, in 1988 by then-Texas Gov. William P. Clements.

Federal Judicial Service

Kinkeade was nominated by President George W. Bush on July 18, 2002, to a seat vacated by Elton Joe Kendall. He received his commission on November 15, 2002.

Notable Cases

• June, 2020, Two former executives of EarthWater Limited (EarthWater), a Dallas-based company, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges for their role in a multi-million dollar high-yield investment fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims.
• April 2018, sentenced La Familia Michoacán Drug Cartel Leader to 43 years in Federal Prison. Arnoldo Rueda-Medina, aka “La Minsa,” 48, was sentenced to serve a total of 520 months in federal prison and a $5 million fine for offenses related to his leadership role within LFM.  LFM was responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States and delivered to stash locations in the Northern District of Texas and elsewhere. Twelve Federal Officers were Tortured and Killed in Retaliation for Minsa’s Capture.
• One of the cases he was involved in on the state bench, he said, was made into a movie called “Guilty of Innocence.” The movie tells the tale of Lenell Geter, a black man who was sentenced to life in prison for an armed robbery in Balch Springs. The conviction came largely based on conflicting witness testimony, and Geter was later released after evidence pointed to another person as the perpetrator.