---
title: "Barbara M. Lynn | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/barbara-m-lynn-1999"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Barbara M. Lynn

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- State: Texas
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, N.D. Texas, 1999-present
- Service: Judge of the Northern District of Texas (1999–2023)
- From 1976 to 1999, Lynn practiced law in Dallas at Carrington Coleman, becoming the firm’s first female associate (1976–1982) and later its first female partner (1983–1999)
- Barbara M. G. Lynn is a retired U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, widely recognized as a trailblazer for women in the federal judiciary
- First woman Chief Judge of a U.S. federal district court

### Education

- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in, graduating first in her class — J.D. (1976)
- University of Virginia-Main Campus — B.A. (1973)
- B.A. in summa cum laude from the University of Virginia in 1973, where she was the first woman in the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society.

### Additional information

- Chief Judge: First woman to hold this role, 2016–2022
- Private practice, Dallas, TX, 1976-1999
- Born September 19, 1952, in Binghamton, New York.
- Date of birth: 1952-01-01
- In her own words, Lynn said she “tried to administer justice every day” and “loved presiding over jury trials”
- Birth place: Binghamton, NY

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1999/barbara-m-lynn/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1999/barbara-m-lynn/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1999/barbara-m-lynn/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1999/barbara-m-lynn/)
- [Lynn, Barbara M. - Federal Judicial Center |](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/lynn-barbara-m)
- [Barbara Lynn - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Barbara_Lynn)
- [Wikidata: Barbara M. Lynn](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4859114)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.