Much like royalty ascending a throne, Earl J. Higgins had the markings of a Y'at Catholic from the beginning. He began his physical and spiritual life in bastions of New Orleans' Catholic culture, having been born October 1941 in Hotel Dieu Hospital and christened in St. Stephen's Catholic Church. Graduating from Jesuit High School cinched the deal. He is an authentic Y'at, an affectionate term for a local New Orleanian. Armed with a B.A. in English and a juris doctorate from Tulane University, Higgins compiled an impressive resume of government service. He retired from the United States Navy in 1989 with the rank of commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, and from the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in 2002 as the assistant director of staff attorneys. He is a ranger at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, and he writes a column for the Delta Sierran, a publication of the Sierra Club.