--- title: "Alan D Albright | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-d-albright" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Alan D Albright U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas - State: Texas - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, W.D. Texas, 2018-present - Judge Albright announced he would step down at the end of August 2026, citing a desire to return to practicing law and a personal interest in trial work - Albright held the role of a United States magistrate judge for the Western District of Texas from 1992 to 1999 - Law Clerk, District Court, W.D. Texas, 1984-1986 - Partner at Bracewell LLP ### Education - J.D. — The University of Texas at Austin — 1984 - Trinity University — B.A. (1981) - University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review — J.D. - He obtained a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Trinity University in San Antonio ### Additional information - Nominated to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas by President Donald Trump on January 24, 2018, confirmed by the Senate on September 6, 2018, and sworn in on September 18, 2018. - Private practice, Austin, TX, 1999-2018 - He also practiced at other Austin law firms from 1999 to 2015 - Magistrate, District Court, W.D. Texas, 1992-1999 - Private practice, Austin, TX, 1986-1992 - Alan D. Albright was born on November 24, 1959. - Date of birth: 1959-01-01 - Before joining the federal bench, Albright practiced law in Austin, Texas. - focusing on intellectual property litigation, and handled trials in both federal court and the International Trade Commission. - Albright became widely known for his role in patent litigation, with his courtroom in Waco becoming a national hub. - At one point, he oversaw a quarter of all U.S. patent lawsuits, encouraging patent owners to file claims in his district. - United States federal judge - He filled the seat vacated by Judge Walter Scott Smith Jr. - However, he faced repeated rebukes from the Federal Circuit for refusing to transfer cases to more appropriate jurisdictions, which led to a decline in his patent docket following a docket-stripping order by Chief Judge Orlando Garcia - After law school, he clerked for Judge James R. Nowlin in Austin, Texas, and later taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law - Birth place: Dauphin, PA ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic trial exhibits Scope: courtwide The Western District of Texas publishes JERS guidance for electronically capturing trial evidence and provides evidence-presentation equipment to members of the bar practicing in the district. Evidence excerpt: The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas uses the Jury Evidence Recording System (JERS) to capture evidence electronically during a trial. The Court provides evidence presentation equipment to any member of the bar practicing within the Western District of Texas. [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic exhibit submission Scope: courtwide For JERS electronic exhibit submission, the Western District of Texas publishes a single-storage-device requirement and directs parties to submit files by the deadline set by the assigned courtroom deputy. Evidence excerpt: All files must be provided on a single storage device such as a CD, DVD, or USB drive. ... All files must be submitted based on the deadline set by the CRD associated with your case. [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5198506) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5198506) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5198506) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8533/alan-d-albright/) - [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8533/alan-d-albright/) - [Wikidata: Alan D. Albright](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47488373) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-d-albright", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alan-d-albright", "name": "Alan D Albright | KnowJudges", "description": "Alan D Albright, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.