Judge Ed Kinkeade was appointed to the federal bench of the Northern District of Texas in 2002 by President George W. Bush, where he still serves today. Previously, Judge Kinkeade served as a County District and Appellate Judge in Texas from 1981 to 2002. Judge Kinkeade earned his undergraduate and law degrees at Baylor University. He earned a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia. Judge Kinkeade is the jurist in residence at Baylor University School of Law where he teaches professional responsibility. He also currently serves the Baylor Scott & White Health Care System as a trustee and he served as chairman of the board for Baylor Health Care System from 2006 to 2008.
A little known fact about Judge Kinkeade is that he was the batting and bench coach for Prince Fielder early in his baseball career.
As a volunteer, Judge Kinkeade trained his yellow lab, Bo, as a pet therapy dog. He and Bo worked with patients with disabilities at various Baylor Health Care facilities in the area. This is where he and Bo met a service dog that led Judge Kinkeade to seek out Canine Companions as the premier training program in the country.
Judge Kinkeade collaborated with Baylor Scott & White Health and Canine Companions for Independence to partner and build the new $10 million dollar Canine Companions training center at Baylor Scott & White Health – Kinkeade Campus in Irving, Texas. The nine-acre campus will graduate up to 60 teams per year providing highly trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities.