Singing "Away in a Manger" on stage at church when she was just 4 years old is the first performance that Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit can recall about her alter ego as a diva. The debut as a crooner for U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge of the Southern District of Texas in Houston was performing for parents' weekend in college. But he really blossomed as a singer and songwriter as an attorney participating in his local American Inns of Court group. While the Houston legal community has known for years about these two judicial songbirds, it was only in the last month or so that their talents blew up on the internet because of a music video they created about COVID-19 and jury trials. The video has garnered more than 44,000 views on YouTube so far, and attracted widespread media coverage. "I've been shocked," Elrod said. "I love to sing, and I'm very thankful. I think music adds so much to life. It brings joy. At this time of the year, we need some joy. It brings levity when you don't take yourself too seriously." The song, "We'll Be Back," expresses how sad lawyers and judges are to miss out on in-person hearings and trials during the pandemic, then it conveys the uplifting, hopeful message that the situation is only temporary. "We set out to do something we hoped would be meaningful to the members of our local bar, with what everybody has been going through. I didn't expect it would go out broadly, but having done so, I'm glad a lot of people responded to it and found encouragement with the message," Eskridge said. He wrote the lyrics to "We'll Be Back," set to a melody from the Broadway play "Hamilton," and he and Elrod performed their duet for a virtual meeting of the Southern District of Texas Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Watch "We'll Be Back" music video

Judge Charles Eskridge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston. Courtesy photo U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge of the Southern District of Texas in Houston. Courtesy photo
Eskridge said he was inspired to write the song after he presided over a hearing that included a number of attorneys from New York City back when the virus was hitting the Big Apple the hardest. "One partner said, 'We are so thankful you put the hearing together and gave us something to work on,'" Eskridge said. "They were so glad to be doing something that lawyers do. It really resonated with me how hard it was on the profession at the time." Elrod's beginnings as a vocalist were humble, starting with her Christmas performance as a toddler and advancing through choirs in school, college and law school. "In law school, we had a group called the Harvard Law School Drama Society. I appeared in some shows, and produced and directed some shows," Elrod said. "Perhaps I should have been studying. It worked out in the end."
Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston. Courtesy photo Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston. Courtesy photo
She explained she played "Glenda the good recruiting coordinator" in a humorous legal spin on the "Wizard of Oz." One funny song was "There's no place like Holmes," a reference to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. As a practicing attorney in Houston, and during her time on Harris County's 190th District Court from 2002 to 2007, Elrod kept up her singing hobby through performances with "Night Court," an all-lawyer charity show by the Houston Bar Association that raises money for civil legal aid. For example, she once played Christine in a show called "Phantom of the Law Firm." The "We'll Be Back" music video isn't the first time Elrod and Eskridge have collaborated in song. Both perform at least annually with their American Inns of Court group, which hosts continuing legal education events, Elrod explained. In fact, their section has won awards for turning their CLE sessions into musicals, like a prize two years ago for their show, "Amenders: Equality Wars." "It was like the Avengers: We were all dressed in superhero costumes. It had original music. It was all about the 14th Amendment," Elrod explained. The two judges have also collaborated on CLE musicals about the magna carta, the pilgrims' Mayflower compact and space law, added Eskridge, who plays a major role writing scripts and song lyrics. Both judges have embraced their lives outside of work as minstrels. It's a creative outlet, but still relates back to their love of the legal profession. "When it's with our Inns of Court, it's a way to learn," Eskridge said. "We have a lot of fun learning, and figuring out how to be creative with it." Elrod added, "It brings you together. These shows are projects that bring together those who may not ever have practiced together, but they all have a shared love of music and a shared love of the rule of law."