By Order of the Court, the U.S. Courthouse will be closed in the Midland/Odessa division on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM to allow staff members to attend a funeral service for a fellow court colleague. Please reference court order for: Midland

By Order of the Court, the following Divisions and Offices will be closed on Friday, April 7, 2023. These orders affect the offices of the U.S. District Court, U.S. Magistrate Court, U.S. District Clerk, U.S. Probation and U.S. Pretrial Services. Please reference court orders for: Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, Alpine, San Antonio Waco  

​We have had recent reports that potential jurors are receiving scam phone calls regarding jury duty.  The U.S. Marshals and the FBI are alerting the public of several nationwide imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials. During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty, or other offenses. Anyone who suspects a jury scam should not provide the requested Continue reading →

To further the goal of casting a wide net to attract the broadest possible pool of qualified applicants to serve as federal judges, the Judicial Conference Committees on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and Magistrate Judges System present their national diversity event. This event is scheduled for April 3, 2023 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the United States Courthouse (501 W 5th Street Austin, Texas 78701). Please access the below flyer for more information regarding this event. Announcement for Roadways to the Bench Continue reading →

On October 6, 2022, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation that pardons federal convictions for simple marijuana possession offenses. The proclamation applies only to federal convictions, including D.C. Code offenses, and does not apply to convictions under state or local law. Under President Biden’s proclamation, individuals with qualifying convictions are fully and completely pardoned for their marijuana possession offense. The pardon applies only to the qualifying offense of simple possession of marijuana and not to any other offense(s) for which the individual has been charged Continue reading →

Effective immediately, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas has implemented a threshold on its ECF website to limit the number of data retrieval attempts for a single connection. Any connection that exceeds the court’s threshold will be temporarily blocked and re-directed to an explanation page.  This action is being taken to improve the site’s stability and ensure quality service to the public. We do not anticipate that customers who are logged into our ECF site on a day-to-day basis will Continue reading →

Beginning in 2022, the new federal courthouse has been open for court business. Counsel practicing in federal court in the San Antonio Division of the Western District of Texas should be aware that the Court can set hearings to proceed either (1) remotely via videoconference on Zoom or by teleconference, or (2) in person, COVID permitting. Counsel should always carefully review orders from the Court, including those setting hearings. And counsel should report for hearings either in person or virtually, as instructed in any order Continue reading →

On June 24, 2021, Chief Judge Orlando L. Garcia entered an order adopting and enacting proposed amendments to the Local Court Civil Rules for the United States District Court, Western District of Texas. In accordance with Rule 83 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, these amendments were unanimously approved by the district judges of this Court after being posted for 30 days for review and comment by the bar. The Court was recently informed by the Office of the Circuit Executive for the Fifth Continue reading →

Affecting El Paso This announcement is for all attorneys practicing criminal law in The Western District of Texas, specifically the El Paso division. Beginning June 28, 2021, the U.S. Probation Office for the Western District of Texas will modify the method used to disclose Pre-Sentence Reports, Addendums, and Violation Reports. You will no longer receive a notification (NEF) from CM/ECF but will instead receive an email directly from the U.S. Probation Services Office for the Western District of Texas containing a link to access your report. Continue reading →