Below are tables showing authorized positions for U.S. district judges, U.S. bankruptcy judges, and U.S. magistrate judges. While district and bankruptcy judgeships are authorized by congressional statute, magistrate judgeships are authorized by the Judicial Conference of the United States. For more detail regarding the authorization of these judgeships, see the Legislative History and Succession Chart(s) pages for each district court (see menu at right), Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships, Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by location), and Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by fiscal year).
Authorized District Judgeships |
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|
Texas
District |
Northern District |
Eastern
District |
Southern District |
Western
District |
Total
Judgeships |
|
| December 29, 1845 9 Stat. 1 |
1
|
|
|
1
|
||
| February 21, 1857 11 Stat. 164 |
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
||
| February 24, 1879 20 Stat. 318 |
|
1 |
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
| February 9, 1898 30 Stat. 240 |
|
2 |
1
|
1
|
4
|
|
|
April 9, 1898
Temporary judgeship expired |
|
1 |
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
| March 11, 1902 32 Stat. 64 |
|
1 |
1
|
1 |
1
|
4
|
| February 26, 1917 39 Stat. 938 |
|
1 |
1
|
1 |
2
|
5
|
| February 26, 1919 40 Stat. 1183 |
|
2 |
1
|
1 |
2
|
6
|
| September 14, 1922 42 Stat. 837 |
|
3 |
1
|
1 |
2
|
7
|
| May 31, 1938 52 Stat. 584 |
|
3 |
1
|
2 |
2
|
8
|
| August 3, 1949 63 Stat. 493 |
|
3 |
1
|
4 |
2
|
10
|
| February 10, 1954 68 Stat. 8 |
|
3 |
2
|
4 |
2
|
11
|
| May 19, 1961 75 Stat. 80 |
|
5 |
2
|
5 |
3
|
15
|
| March 18, 1966 80 Stat. 75 |
|
5 |
2
|
7 |
4
|
18
|
| June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 |
|
6 |
3
|
8 |
5
|
22
|
| October 20, 1978 92 Stat. 1629 |
|
9 |
4
|
13 |
6
|
32
|
| July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 333 |
|
10 |
6
|
13 |
7
|
36
|
| December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 |
|
12 |
7
|
18 |
10
|
47
|
| December 21, 2000 114 Stat. 2762 |
|
12 |
7
|
19 |
11
|
49
|
| November 2, 2002 116 Stat. 1758 |
12 |
8
|
19 |
13
|
52
|
|
Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships |
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| Northern District |
Eastern District |
Southern District |
Western District |
Total Judgeships |
|
| July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 336 |
4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| October 27, 1986 100 Stat. 3088 |
5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| November 3, 1988 102 Stat. 2982 |
5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 17 |
| August 26, 1992 106 Stat. 965 |
6 | 2 | 6 | 5 (4 + 1 temporary) |
19 (18 + 1 temporary) |
Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by location) |
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| Northern District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | Combination |
| Abilene | 1 (2003–present) | 1 (1971–1975) 0 (1976–1980) 1 (1981–2002) |
|
| Amarillo | 1 (1971–1986) | ||
| Amarillo or Dallas | 1 (1987–present) | ||
| Dallas | 1 (1971–1975) 2 (1976–1989) 3 (1990–1993) 4 (1994–present) |
||
| Dallas or Fort Worth | 1 (1972–1975) | ||
| Fort Worth | 1 (1976–present) | 1 (1971) | |
| Fort Worth or Wichita Falls | 1 (2017–present) | ||
| Lubbock | 1 (1984–present) | 1 (1971–1976) | bankruptcy judge-magistrate 1 (1977–1983) |
| San Angelo | 1 (1971–2002) | ||
| Wichita Falls | 1 (1971–2016) | ||
| Total | 1 (1971) 2 (1972–1975) 3 (1976–1983) 4 (1984–1986) 5 (1987–1989) 6 (1990–1993) 7 (1994–2002) 8 (2003–2016) 9 (2017–present) |
6 (1971) 5 (1972–1975) 4 (1976) 3 (1977–1980) 4 (1981–1986) 3 (1987–2002) 1 (2003–2016) 0 (2017–present) |
0 (1971–1976) 1 (1977–1983) 0 (1984–present) |
| Eastern District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | Combination |
| Beaumont | 1 (1974–1983) 2 (1984–present) |
1 (1971–1973) | |
| Marshall | 1 (2008–present) | 1 (1971–1975) | |
| Paris | 1 (1971–1975) | ||
| Plano or Sherman | 1 (2010–present) | ||
| Sherman | 1 (1994–present) | 1 (1971–1993) | |
| Texarkana | 1 (1999–present) | 1 (1971–1994) | |
| Tyler | 1 (1980–1984) 2 (1985–present) |
bankruptcy judge-magistrate 1 (1971–1979) |
|
| Total | 0 (1971–1973) 1 (1974–1979) 2 (1980–1983) 3 (1984) 4 (1985–1993) 5 (1994–1998) 6 (1999–2007) 7 (2008–2009) 8 (2010–present) |
5 (1971–1973) 4 (1974–1975) 2 (1976–1993) 1 (1994) 0 (1995–present) |
1 (1971–1979) 0 (1980–present) |
| Southern District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | |
| Brownsville | 1 (1971–1983) 2 (1984–1985) 1 (1986–1992) 2 (1993–present) |
1 (1982–1983) | |
| Brownsville or McAllen | 1 (1986–present) | 1 (1986–1992) | |
| Corpus Christi | 1 (1976–1995) 2 (1996–2021) 3 (2022–present) |
1 (1971–1975) | |
| Edinburg | 1 (1974–1976) | ||
| Edinburg or McAllen | 1 (1977–1985) | ||
| Galveston | 1 (1986–1990) | ||
| Galveston or Houston | 1 (1991–present) | ||
| Houston | 1 (1971) 2 (1972–1976) 3 (1977–1981) 4 (1982–1992) 5 (1993–present) |
||
| Laredo | 1 (1974–1999) 2 (2000–present) |
1 (1971–1973) | |
| Laredo or McAllen | 1 (1993–present) | ||
| McAllen | 1 (2019–present) | ||
| Unspecified | 1 (2010–present) | ||
| Total | 2 (1971) 3 (1972–1973) 4 (1974–1975) 5 (1976) 6 (1977–1981) 7 (1982–1983) 8 (1984–1990) 9 (1991–1992) 12 (1993–1995) 13 (1996–1999) 14 (2000–2009) 15 (2010–2018) 16 (2019–2021) 17 (2022–present) |
2 (1971–1975) 1 (1976–1981) 2 (1982–1983) 1 (1984–1985) 2 (1986–1990) 1 (1991–1992) 0 (1993–present) |
|
| Western District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | |
| Alpine or Big Bend National Park | 1 (1999–2001) | ||
| Alpine or Pecos | 1 (2002–present) | ||
| Austin | 1 (1980–2002) 2 (2003–2019) 3 (2020–present) |
1 (1971–1979) | |
| Austin or Waco | 1 (1993–2002) | ||
| Big Bend National Park | 1 (1971–1998) | ||
| Del Rio | 1 (1971–1983) 0 (1984–1997) 1 (1998–2000) |
||
| Del Rio or Eagle Pass | 1 (1984–2000) 2 (2001–present) |
||
| Eagle Pass | 1 (1971–1983) | ||
| El Paso | 1 (1971–1982) 2 (1983–2000) 3 (2001–present) |
1 (1972–1982) | |
| Kerrville | 1 (1971–1980) | ||
| Killeen | 1 (1971–1974) | ||
| Marfa | 1 (1972–1980) | ||
| Midland or Odessa | 1 (1971–1992) | ||
| Midland-Odessa or Pecos | 1 (1993–present) | ||
| Pecos | 1 (1971–1992) | ||
| San Antonio | 1 (1971–1975) 2 (1976–1992) 3 (1993–2025) 4 (2026-present) |
1 (1972–1975) 0 (1976) 1 (1977–1992) |
|
| Unspecified | 1 (2010–present) | ||
| Waco | 1 (1986–2021) 2 (2022–present) |
1 (1971–1985) | |
| Total | 2 (1971–1975) 3 (1976–1979) 4 (1980–1982) 5 (1983) 6 (1984–1985) 7 (1986–1992) 10 (1993–2000) 12 (2001) 13 (2002–2009) 14 (2010–2019) 15 (2020–2021) 16 (2022–2025) 17 (2026-present) |
9 (1971) 12 (1972–1974) 11 (1975) 10 (1976) 11 (1977–1979) 10 (1980) 8 (1981–1982) 7 (1983) 5 (1984–1985) 4 (1986–1992) 1 (1993–1997) 2 (1998–2000) 1 (2001) 0 (2002–present) |
|
Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by fiscal year) |
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| Northern District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | Combination | Total |
| 1971 | Dallas | 1 | Abilene, Amarillo, Fort Worth, Lubbock, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 6 | 0 | |
| 1972–1975 | Dallas, Fort Worth or Dallas | 2 | Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 5 | 0 | |
| 1976 | Dallas (2), Fort Worth | 3 | Amarillo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 4 | 0 | |
| 1977–1980 | Dallas (2), Fort Worth | 3 | Amarillo, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 3 | Lubbock (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1981–1983 | Dallas (2), Fort Worth | 3 | Abilene, Amarillo, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 4 | Lubbock (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1984–1986 | Dallas (2), Fort Worth, Lubbock | 4 | Abilene, Amarillo, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 4 | 0 | |
| 1987–1989 | Amarillo or Dallas, Dallas (2), Fort Worth, Lubbock | 5 | Abilene, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 3 | 0 | |
| 1990–1993 | Amarillo or Dallas, Dallas (3), Fort Worth, Lubbock | 6 | Abilene, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 3 | 0 | |
| 1994–2002 | Amarillo or Dallas, Dallas (4), Fort Worth, Lubbock | 7 | Abilene, San Angelo, Wichita Falls | 3 | 0 | |
| 2003–2016 | Abilene, Amarillo or Dallas, Dallas (4), Fort Worth, Lubbock | 8 | Wichita Falls | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017–present | Abilene, Amarillo or Dallas, Dallas (4), Fort Worth, Fort Worth or Wichita Falls, Lubbock | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Eastern District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | Combination | Total |
| 1971–1973 | 0 | Beaumont, Marshall, Paris, Sherman, Texarkana | 5 | Tyler (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 | |
| 1974–1975 | Beaumont | 1 | Marshall, Paris, Sherman, Texarkana | 4 | Tyler (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1976–1979 | Beaumont | 1 | Sherman, Texarkana | 2 | Tyler (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1980–1983 | Beaumont, Tyler | 2 | Sherman, Texarkana | 2 | 0 | |
| 1984 | Beaumont (2), Tyler | 3 | Sherman, Texarkana | 2 | 0 | |
| 1985–1993 | Beaumont (2), Tyler (2) | 4 | Sherman, Texarkana | 2 | 0 | |
| 1994 | Beaumont (2), Sherman, Tyler (2) | 5 | Texarkana | 1 | 0 | |
| 1995–1998 | Beaumont (2), Sherman, Tyler (2) | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2007 | Beaumont (2), Sherman, Texarkana, Tyler (2) | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008–2009 | Beaumont (2), Marshall, Sherman, Texarkana, Tyler (2) | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–present | Beaumont (2), Marshall, Plano or Sherman, Sherman, Texarkana, Tyler (2) | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Southern District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | ||
| 1971 | Brownsville, Houston | 2 | Corpus Christi, Laredo | 2 | ||
| 1972–1973 | Brownsville, Houston (2) | 3 | Corpus Christi, Laredo | 2 | ||
| 1974–1975 | Brownsville, Houston (2), Laredo | 4 | Corpus Christi, Edinburg | 2 | ||
| 1976 | Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Houston (2), Laredo | 5 | Edinburg | 1 | ||
| 1977–1981 | Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Houston (3), Laredo | 6 | Edinburg or McAllen | 1 | ||
| 1982–1983 | Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Houston (4), Laredo | 7 | Brownsville, Edinburg or McAllen | 2 | ||
| 1984–1985 | Brownsville (2), Corpus Christi, Houston (4), Laredo | 8 | Edinburg or McAllen | 1 | ||
| 1986–1990 | Brownsville, Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi, Houston (4), Laredo | 8 | Brownsville or McAllen, Galveston | 2 | ||
| 1991–1992 | Brownsville, Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi, Galveston or Houston, Houston (4), Laredo | 9 | Brownsville or McAllen | 1 | ||
| 1993–1995 | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi, Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo, Laredo or McAllen | 12 | 0 | |||
| 1996–1999 | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi (2), Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo, Laredo or McAllen | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2000–2009 | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi (2), Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo (2), Laredo or McAllen | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2010–2018 | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi (2), Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo (2), Laredo or McAllen, Unspecified | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2019–2021 | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi (2), Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo (2), Laredo or McAllen, McAllen, Unspecified | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2022–present | Brownsville (2), Brownsville or McAllen, Corpus Christi (3), Galveston or Houston, Houston (5), Laredo (2), Laredo or McAllen, McAllen, Unspecified | 17 | 0 | |||
| Western District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | ||
| 1971 | El Paso, San Antonio | 2 | Austin, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Killeen, Kerrville, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, Waco | 9 | ||
| 1972–1974 | El Paso, San Antonio | 2 | Austin, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Killeen, Kerrville, Marfa, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 12 | ||
| 1975 | El Paso, San Antonio | 2 | Austin, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Kerrville, Marfa, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 11 | ||
| 1976 | El Paso, San Antonio (2) | 3 | Austin, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Kerrville, Marfa, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, Waco | 10 | ||
| 1977–1979 | El Paso, San Antonio (2) | 3 | Austin, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Kerrville, Marfa, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 11 | ||
| 1980 | Austin, El Paso, San Antonio (2) | 4 | Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Kerrville, Marfa, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 10 | ||
| 1981–1982 | Austin, El Paso, San Antonio (2) | 4 | Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 8 | ||
| 1983 | Austin, El Paso (2), San Antonio (2) | 5 | Big Bend National Park, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 7 | ||
| 1984–1985 | Austin, Del Rio or Eagle Pass, El Paso (2), San Antonio (2) | 6 | Big Bend National Park, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio, Waco | 5 | ||
| 1986–1992 | Austin, Del Rio or Eagle Pass, El Paso (2), San Antonio (2), Waco | 7 | Big Bend National Park, Midland or Odessa, Pecos, San Antonio | 4 | ||
| 1993–1997 | Austin, Austin or Waco, Del Rio or Eagle Pass, El Paso (2), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 10 | Big Bend National Park | 1 | ||
| 1998 | Austin, Austin or Waco, Del Rio or Eagle Pass, El Paso (2), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 10 | Big Bend National Park, Del Rio | 2 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Austin, Austin or Waco, Del Rio or Eagle Pass, El Paso (2), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 10 | Alpine or Big Bend National Park, Del Rio | 2 | ||
| 2001 | Austin, Austin or Waco, Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 12 | Alpine or Big Bend National Park | 1 | ||
| 2002 | Alpine or Pecos, Austin, Austin or Waco, Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2003–2009 | Alpine or Pecos, Austin (2), Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Waco | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2010–2019 | Alpine or Pecos, Austin (2), Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Unspecified, Waco | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2020–2021 | Alpine or Pecos, Austin (3), Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Unspecified, Waco | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2022–2025 | Alpine or Pecos, Austin (3), Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (3), Unspecified, Waco (2) | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2026-present | Alpine or Pecos, Austin (3), Del Rio or Eagle Pass (2), El Paso (3), Midland-Odessa or Pecos, San Antonio (4), Unspecified, Waco (2) | 17 | ||||