Fred Biery | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
| In office June 1, 2010 –December 31, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Scott Smith Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Orlando Luis Garcia |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
| Assumed office March 11,1994 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 104 Stat. 5089 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 11,1947 McAllen,Texas,U.S. |
| Education | Texas Lutheran College (BA) Southern Methodist University (JD) |
Samuel Frederick "Fred" Biery Jr. (born November 11,1947) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. [1] [2] [3] He was appointed in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. He served as a Texas state court judge from 1979 to 1994.
Biery was born on November 11,1947,in McAllen,Texas,United States. [1]
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Lutheran College in 1970 and a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University in 1973. [1] He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976,where he became an E-4. [1]
Biery was in private practice in San Antonio,Texas,from 1973 to 1978. He served as judges of the County Court 2 of Bexar County,Texas,from 1979 to 1982,of the Texas 150th District Court from 1983 to 1988,and of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals from 1989 to 1994. [1]
On November 19,1993,United States president Bill Clinton nominated Biery to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas created by 104 Stat. 5089. [2] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 10,1994,and received his commission on March 11. [2] Biery served as chief judge from June 1,2010,to late 2015. [2] Judge Biery is known for his witty and entertaining opinions. San Antonio Lawyer Magazine has called him "a judge with a little extra to say." [4] On April 29,2013,his ruling in 35 Bar and Grille LLC,et. al. v. The City of San Antonio gained notoriety for its puns,sexual innuendo and double entendres. [5] On August 20,2025,Biery enjoined Texas from displaying the Ten Commandments in every classroom despite a state law passed in June. [6] [7]
In June 2022,Biery said he does not read opinions handed down from the Fifth Circuit,but he later said that was "courtroom banter". [8]
In January 2026,Biery blocked the immediate deportation of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos,whose seizure by immigration officers in Minnesota and rapid transport to a detention center in Texas sparked international outrage. Several days later,in a scathing opinion,he also ordered the release of the boy and his father from immigration detention. [9] [10] [11] [12]