United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Northern District of Texas |
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Fifth Circuit |
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Judgeships |
Posts: 12 |
Judges: 11 |
Vacancies: 1 |
Judges |
Chief: David Godbey |
Active judges: Jane Boyle, Ada Brown, David Godbey, James Wesley Hendrix, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, James Kinkeade, Sam Lindsay, Reed O'Connor, Mark Pittman, Karen Gren Scholer, Brantley Starr Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit based in downtown New Orleans at the John Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.
Vacancies
- See also: Current federal judicial vacancies
There is one current vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, out of the court's 12 judicial positions.
Pending nominations
There are no pending nominees for this court.
Active judges
Article III judges
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
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March 17, 1998 - |
St. Mary's University, 1974 |
University of Texas School of Law, 1977 |
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August 2, 2002 - |
Southern Methodist University, 1978 |
Harvard Law School, 1982 |
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November 15, 2002 - |
Baylor University, 1973 |
Baylor University School of Law, 1974 |
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June 29, 2004 - |
University of Texas, 1977 |
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 1981 |
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November 21, 2007 - |
University of Houston, 1986 |
South Texas College of Law, 1989 |
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March 6, 2018 - |
Rice University, 1979 |
Cornell University School of Law, 1982 |
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June 21, 2019 - |
Abilene Christian University, 1999 |
University of Texas School of Law, 2003 |
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August 5, 2019 - |
Texas A&M University, 1996 |
University of Texas School of Law, 1999 |
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August 6, 2019 - |
Abilene Christian University, 2001 |
University of Texas School of Law, 2004 |
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August 8, 2019 - |
University of Chicago, 2000 |
University of Texas, 2003 |
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September 13, 2019 - |
Spelman College, 1996 |
Emory University School of Law, 1999 |
Active Article III judges by appointing political party
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 1
- Republican appointed: 10
Senior judges
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
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August 31, 2000 - |
Southern Methodist University, 1956 |
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 1960 |
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November 12, 2007 - |
Yale College, 1965 |
Yale Law School, 1968 |
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July 3, 2013 - |
Southern Methodist University, 1971 |
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 1974 |
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December 31, 2014 - |
Texas Tech University, 1967 |
Baylor University School of Law, 1970 |
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September 22, 2018 - |
Baylor University, 1975 |
Baylor University School of Law, 1976 |
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May 15, 2023 - |
University of Virginia, 1973 |
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 1976 |
Senior judges by appointing political party
The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 1
- Republican appointed: 5
Magistrate judges
Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[1]
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
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June 1, 2010 - |
Baylor University, 1990 |
Baylor University Law, 1993 |
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September 3, 2010 - |
Howard University, 1981 |
University of Texas Law, 1984 |
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November 20, 2012 - |
University of Notre Dame, 1996 |
Yale Law School, 2000 |
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June 24, 2016 - |
University of Texas, Austin, 1981 |
University of Texas School of Law, 1984 |
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August 1, 2016 - |
Baylor University, 1983 |
Baylor Law School, 1986 |
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October 1, 2017 - |
Texas Tech University, 1990 |
Texas Tech University School of Law, 1994 |
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January 26, 2018 - |
Southern Methodist University, 1993 |
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 1998 |
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October 1, 2019 - |
University of Dallas, 1983 |
Texas Tech University Law School, 1992 |
Former chief judges
In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.[2]
In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.[3][4][5]
The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.[3][4][5]
Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.[2][3][4][5]
On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.[6]
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Former judges
For more information on judges of the Northern District of Texas, see former federal judges of the Northern District of Texas.
Jurisdiction
The Northern District of Texas has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are seven court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Abilene Division, covering Callahan, Eastland, Fisher, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Mitchell, Nolan, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor, and Throckmorton counties
The Amarillo Division, covering Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, and Wheeler counties
The Dallas Division, covering Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, and Rockwall counties
The Fort Worth Division, covering Comanche, Erath, Hood, Jack, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, and Wise counties
The Lubbock Division, covering Bailey, Borden, Cochran, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Hale, Hockley, Kent, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Scurry, Terry, and Yoakum counties
The San Angelo Division, covering Brown, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crockett, Glasscock, Irion, Menard, Mills, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, and Tom Green counties
The Wichita Falls Division, covering Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, King, Knox, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young counties
The court convenes in Dallas with divisions in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, San Angelo, and Wichita Falls. It has jurisdiction over 100 counties in the Northern and Central parts of the state of Texas.
Caseloads
This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in August 2023.
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas caseload stats, 2010-2022 | |||||||||||
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Year | Cases Filed | Cases Terminated | Cases Pending | Number of Judgeships | Vacant Judgeship Months | Average Total Filings per Judgeship | Trials Completed per Judgeship | Median time from filing to disposition, criminal | Median time from filing to disposition, civil | Three-year civil cases (#) | Three-year civil cases (%) |
2010 | 6,037 | 5,857 | 4,930 | 12 | 0 | 503 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 101 | 3 |
2011 | 6,492 | 5,561 | 5,217 | 12 | 0 | 541 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 71 | 2 |
2012 | 8,727 | 6,054 | 8,404 | 12 | 0 | 727 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 87 | 1 |
2013 | 8,792 | 6,462 | 10,701 | 12 | 6 | 733 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 120 | 1 |
2014 | 8,248 | 6,578 | 12,295 | 12 | 12 | 687 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 953 | 9 |
2015 | 8,140 | 6,568 | 13,875 | 12 | 24 | 678 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 3,461 | 29 |
2016 | 7,602 | 6,743 | 14,645 | 12 | 43 | 634 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5,508 | 43 |
2017 | 7,641 | 6,679 | 15,581 | 12 | 48 | 637 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 7,304 | 53 |
2018 | 7,613 | 7,270 | 15,936 | 12 | 47 | 634 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 8,385 | 60 |
2019 | 7,538 | 7,365 | 16,089 | 12 | 40 | 628 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 8,772 | 63 |
2020 | 8,504 | 10,495 | 14,153 | 12 | 0 | 709 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 7,038 | 60 |
2021 | 7,688 | 10,214 | 11,649 | 12 | 0 | 641 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 5,053 | 54 |
2022 | 7,259 | 12,632 | 6,234 | 12 | 0 | 605 | 15 | 10 | 55 | 433 | 10 |
Average | 7,714 | 7,575 | 11,516 | 12 | 17 | 643 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 3,637 | 30 |
History
On December 29, 1845, the State of Texas was organized as one judicial district. One judgeship was authorized for this U.S. district court, and being that it was not assigned to a judicial circuit, the district court was granted the same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Texas was divided into two judicial districts, known as the Eastern District of Texas and the Western District of Texas, on February 21, 1857. One judgeship was authorized for the court in each district. Circuit court jurisdiction of the district court in Texas was repealed on July 15, 1862, and a U.S. circuit court was established for the district and assigned over to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Texas was then assigned to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on July 23, 1866.
The Northern District of Texas was established on February 24, 1879, with one judgeship authorized to the district court. On February 9, 1898, a temporary judgeship was authorized to the Northern District of Texas. However, the statute provided that any vacancy in the existing judgeship would not be filled.
A few years later, on March 11, 1902, the Southern District of Texas was established and one judgeship was authorized to this district court.
The Northern District of Texas had ten judicial posts added over time for a total of twelve current posts.[7]
Judicial posts
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Northern District of Texas:[7]
Year | Statute | Total Seats |
December 29, 1845 | 9 Stat. 1 | 1 |
February 24, 1879 | 20 Stat. 318 | 1 |
February 9, 1898 | 30 Stat. 240 | 2 |
1898 | Post Expired | 1 |
February 26, 1919 | 40 Stat. 1183 | 2 |
September 14, 1922 | 42 Stat. 837 | 3(1 Temporary) |
August 19, 1935 | 49 Stat. 659 | 3 |
May 19, 1961 | 75 Stat. 80 | 5 |
June 2, 1970 | 84 Stat. 294 | 6 |
October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 9 |
July 10, 1984 | 98 Stat. 333 | 10 |
December 1, 1990 | 104 Stat. 5089 | 12 |
Federal courthouse
Seven separate courthouses serve the Northern District of Texas.
About United States District Courts
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.
There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.
There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.
There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[8][9]
The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.
In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[10]
Appointments by president
The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through August 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Bill Clinton had the most district court appointments with 168.
Judges by district
- See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts
The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.
Judicial selection
The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[9]
Step | ![]() |
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1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President | President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee | President Declines Nomination |
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate | Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation | Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee |
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation | Candidate becomes federal judge | Candidate does not receive judgeship |
Magistrate judges
The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[11]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
External links
- United States District Court for the District of Northern Texas
- United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
- Judges of the Northern District of Texas
Footnotes
- ↑ Federal Judiciary Center, "Magistrate Judgeships," accessed June 11, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Texas," accessed May 13, 2021
- ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
- ↑ The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
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Active judges |
Chief Judge: David Godbey • Sam Lindsay • James Kinkeade • Jane Boyle • Reed O'Connor • Ada Brown • Mark Pittman • James Wesley Hendrix • Karen Gren Scholer • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Brantley Starr | ||
Senior judges |
Sidney Fitzwater • A. Joe Fish • Robert Maloney (Texas) • Sam Cummings • Terry Means • Barbara Lynn • | ||
Magistrate judges | Clinton Averitte • Irma Ramirez • Jeffrey Cureton • Renee Toliver • David L. Horan • Hal Ray • Gordon Bryant • John R. Parker • Rebecca Rutherford • Lee Ann Reno • Peter Bray • | ||
Former Article III judges |
Andrew Phelps McCormick • Patrick Higginbotham • Robert Madden Hill • John Rector • Edward Roscoe Meek • Harold Sanders • Jerry Buchmeyer • Mary Lou Robinson • William Furgeson • James Clifton Wilson • William Hawley Atwell • Thomas Whitfield Davidson • John McBryde • David Belew • Leo Brewster • Joseph Dooley • Joe Estes • Sarah Hughes • Elton Kendall • Eldon Mahon • Robert Porter (Texas) • William Taylor (Texas) • Halbert Woodward • | ||
Former Chief judges |
Sidney Fitzwater • Harold Sanders • Jerry Buchmeyer • A. Joe Fish • Barbara Lynn • William Hawley Atwell • Thomas Whitfield Davidson • Leo Brewster • Joseph Dooley • Joe Estes • Robert Porter (Texas) • William Taylor (Texas) • Halbert Woodward • |
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