United States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
---|---|
(W.D. Tex.) | |
Location | San Antonio More locations |
Appeals to | Fifth Circuit |
Established | February 21, 1857 |
Judges | 13 |
Chief Judge | Alia Moses |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Jaime E. Esparza |
U.S. Marshal | Susan Pamerleau |
www |
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (in case citations, W.D. Tex.) is a federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has jurisdiction in over 50 Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin, and Hill Country counties of the U.S. state of Texas. This district covers over 92,000 square miles (240,000 km2) and seven divisions.
Along with the District of New Mexico, Southern District of Texas, and District of Arizona, it is one of the busiest district courts in terms of criminal felony filings. [1]
The first federal judge in Texas was John C. Watrous, who was appointed on May 26, 1846, and had previously served as Attorney General of the Republic of Texas. He was assigned to hold court in Galveston, at the time, the largest city in the state. As seat of the Texas Judicial District, the Galveston court had jurisdiction over the whole state. [2] On February 21, 1857, the state was divided into two districts, Eastern and Western, with Judge Watrous continuing in the Eastern district. [3] Judge Watrous and Judge Thomas H. DuVal, of the Western District of Texas, left the state on the secession of Texas from the Union, the only two federal judges not to resign their posts in states that seceded. When Texas was restored to the Union, Watrous and DuVal resumed their duties and served until 1870.
Appeals from cases brought in the Western District of Texas are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The divisions of the Western District of Texas are:
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of December 9,2022 [update] the United States Attorney is Jaime E. Esparza. [4]
As of April 9,2024 [update] :
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
32 | Chief Judge | Alia Moses | Del Rio | 1962 | 2002–present | 2022–present | — | G.W. Bush |
27 | District Judge | Samuel Frederick Biery Jr. | San Antonio | 1947 | 1994–present | 2010–2015 | — | Clinton |
29 | District Judge | Orlando Luis Garcia | San Antonio | 1952 | 1994–present | 2016–2022 | — | Clinton |
35 | District Judge | Kathleen Cardone | El Paso | 1953 | 2003–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
37 | District Judge | Xavier Rodriguez | San Antonio | 1961 | 2003–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
39 | District Judge | Robert L. Pitman | Austin | 1962 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
40 | District Judge | David Counts | Midland Pecos | 1961 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
41 | District Judge | Alan Albright | Waco | 1959 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
42 | District Judge | Jason K. Pulliam | San Antonio | 1971 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
43 | District Judge | Leon Schydlower | El Paso | 1971 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
44 | District Judge | Ernest Gonzalez | Del Rio | 1962 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
45 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
46 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
22 | Senior Judge | James Robertson Nowlin | Austin | 1937 | 1981–2003 | 1999–2003 | 2003–present | Reagan |
26 | Senior Judge | Sam Sparks | Austin | 1939 | 1991–2017 | — | 2017–present | G.H.W. Bush |
30 | Senior Judge | David Briones | El Paso | 1943 | 1994–2009 | — | 2009–present | Clinton |
33 | Senior Judge | Robert A. Junell | Midland Pecos | 1947 | 2003–2015 | — | 2015–present | G.W. Bush |
36 | Senior Judge | Frank Montalvo | El Paso | 1956 | 2003–2022 | — | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
38 | Senior Judge | David C. Guaderrama | El Paso | 1954 | 2012–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |
Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Austin | Earl Leroy Yeakel III | Retirement | May 1, 2023 | – | – |
5 | El Paso | David C. Guaderrama | Senior status | May 27, 2023 | – | – |
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thomas Howard DuVal | TX | 1813–1880 | 1857–1880 | — | — | Pierce | death |
2 | Ezekiel B. Turner | TX | 1825–1888 | 1880–1888 [Note 1] | — | — | Hayes | death |
3 | Thomas Sheldon Maxey | TX | 1846–1921 | 1888–1916 | — | — | Cleveland | retirement |
4 | DuVal West | TX | 1861–1949 | 1916–1931 | — | 1931–1949 | Wilson | death |
5 | William Robert Smith | TX | 1863–1924 | 1917–1924 | — | — | Wilson | death |
6 | Charles Albert Boynton | TX | 1867–1954 | 1924–1947 | — | 1947–1954 | Coolidge | death |
7 | Robert Johnston McMillan | TX | 1885–1941 | 1932–1941 | — | — | Hoover | death |
8 | Walter Angus Keeling | TX | 1873–1945 | 1942–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
9 | Ben Herbert Rice Jr. | TX | 1889–1964 | 1945–1964 | 1948–1962 | — | Truman | death |
10 | R. Ewing Thomason | TX | 1879–1973 | 1947–1963 | — | 1963–1973 | Truman | death |
11 | Adrian Anthony Spears | TX | 1910–1991 | 1961–1979 [Note 2] | 1962–1979 | 1979–1982 | Kennedy | retirement |
12 | Homer Thornberry | TX | 1909–1995 | 1963–1965 | — | — | L. Johnson [Note 3] | elevation to 5th Cir. |
13 | Dorwin Wallace Suttle | TX | 1906–2001 | 1964–1979 | — | 1979–2001 | L. Johnson | death |
14 | Jack Roberts | TX | 1910–1988 | 1966–1980 | 1979–1980 | 1980–1988 | L. Johnson | death |
15 | Ernest Allen Guinn | TX | 1905–1974 | 1966–1974 | — | — | L. Johnson | death |
16 | John H. Wood Jr. | TX | 1916–1979 | 1970–1979 | — | — | Nixon | assassination |
17 | William S. Sessions | TX | 1930–2020 | 1974–1987 | 1980–1987 | — | Ford | resignation |
18 | Lucius Desha Bunton III | TX | 1924–2001 | 1979–1992 | 1987–1992 | 1992–2001 | Carter | death |
19 | Harry Lee Hudspeth | TX | 1935–2024 | 1979–2001 | 1992–1999 | 2001–2016 | Carter | retirement |
20 | Clyde Frederick Shannon Jr. | TX | 1942–present | 1980–1984 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
21 | Hipolito Frank Garcia | TX | 1925–2002 | 1980–2002 | — | — | Carter | death |
23 | Edward C. Prado | TX | 1947–present | 1984–2003 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 5th Cir. |
24 | Walter Scott Smith Jr. | TX | 1940–present | 1984–2016 | 2003–2010 | — | Reagan | retirement |
25 | Emilio M. Garza | TX | 1947–present | 1988–1991 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 5th Cir. |
28 | William Royal Furgeson Jr. | TX | 1941–present | 1994–2008 | — | 2008–2013 | Clinton | retirement |
31 | Philip Ray Martinez | TX | 1957–2021 | 2002–2021 | — | — | G.W. Bush | death |
34 | Earl Leroy Yeakel III | TX | 1945–present | 2003–2023 | — | — | G.W. Bush | retirement |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is a United States district court in the Eleventh Circuit.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is the federal district court with jurisdiction over of the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of the State of Michigan. The Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the court.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in Dallas, Texas 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 U.S. state of Texas.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the southeastern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas, and has six additional locations in the district.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit.
The 2002 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry, who had ascended to the governorship after the resignation of George W. Bush to become President of the United States, was elected to his first full term in office, winning 58% of the vote to Democrat Tony Sanchez's 40%.
The Texas Courts of Appeals are part of the Texas judicial system. In Texas, all cases appealed from district and county courts, criminal and civil, go to one of the fourteen intermediate courts of appeals, with one exception: death penalty cases. The latter are taken directly to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal matters in the State of Texas. The highest court for civil and juvenile matters is the Texas Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court (SCOTX) and the Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) each have nine members per the Texas Constitution, the sizes of the intermediate courts of appeals are set by statute and vary greatly, depending on historical case filings and so that the justices on each court can timely adjudicate the volume of cases regularly before them. The total number of intermediate appellate court seats currently stands at 80, ranging from three, four, six, seven, nine, and thirteen (Dallas) per court.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit.
Orlando Luis Garcia is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and former Texas state legislator.
Earl Leroy Yeakel III, also known as Lee Yeakel, is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Ezekiel B. Turner was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
John Charles Watrous was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Texas and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Joel C. C. Winch was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Robert Lee Pitman is an American attorney and jurist who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and former United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. He was previously a United States Magistrate Judge of the same court.
Julie H. Kocurek is an American attorney who serves as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court in Austin, Texas since January 1999, being appointed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Prior to serving as a Texas state judge, Kocurek served as an assistant district attorney in Travis County for seven years.
Alan D Albright is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. He was formerly a United States magistrate judge of the same court. Albright oversees a significant portion of patent litigation within the United States. In 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit repeatedly rebuked him in a string of opinions for failing to transfer cases to more apt jurisdictions. A quarter of all patent lawsuits in the US were once heard by Albright, who has been widely criticized for ignoring binding case law. However, following a docket-stripping order issued by Chief Judge Orlando Garcia, Albright's patent docket has declined precipitously.
William Paul Brady was an American lawyer. From 1909 to around 1914, he served as the first district attorney for Texas' 70th judicial district, and from 1917 to 1919 he was the judge for the newly created El Paso County Court at Law. Brady prosecuted several high-profile murder cases as a district attorney, including of Agnes Orner, and in a death-penalty case that has since been termed a "legal lynching" of a Mexican boy charged with killing a white woman.