--- title: "Carmen Symes Dusek | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/carmen-symes-dusek" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Carmen Symes Dusek Texas 51st District Court · District Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 51st District Court - State: Texas - Role: District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Counsel/Partner, Jackson Walker, LLP, 2017-present - Presiding Judge, Texas 51st Judicial District Court, TX, 2018-2020 - Presiding Judge, Texas 391st Judicial District Court, 2017-2020 - Partner, Symes Dusek, LLP, TX, 2000-2017 - Before joining the bench, Dusek was Senior Counsel at Jackson Walker, LLP in Travis County, Texas, from 2017, and previously an associate there until 2000. - Briefing Attorney to Justice Marilyn Aboussie, Texas Court of Appeals, 3rd District (Austin), Austin, TX, 1996-1997 - Judge of the 51st District Court of Texas, serving Coke, Irion, Schleicher, Sterling, and Tom Green Counties - She later joined her father as a partner at Symes Dusek, LLP in Tom Green County ### Education - Texas Tech University — J.D. (1996) - Texas Tech University — B.A. (1992) ### Additional information - Experienced Texas attorney and judge, serving on the 51st District Court since 2018, with a background in private practice, family law, and high-profile cases, and active in professional legal organizations - Practitioner, Jackson Walker, LLP, Austin, TX, 1997-2000 - Known for her work as lead attorney in the child custody case against Warren Jeffs, leader of the Yearning For Zion polygamist compound - She is a registered Republican ## 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 ### civil remote appearances Scope: statewide In civil district and county court proceedings, the court may permit or require electronic participation after appropriate notice; compelled electronic participation for oral-testimony proceedings requires good cause or party agreement, and a jury trial requires party agreement. Evidence excerpt: Upon appropriate notice by a party or the court, a court may allow or require a participant to appear at a court proceeding by videoconference, teleconference, or other available electronic means, except as otherwise provided in (2). [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### civil recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Civil district and county trial courts may permit courtroom recording or broadcasting only under Supreme Court guidelines, with the required party and witness consent, or for ceremonial proceedings. Evidence excerpt: A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances: [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Official roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15609/carmen-symes-dusek/) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15609/carmen-symes-dusek/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/carmen-symes-dusek", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/carmen-symes-dusek", "name": "Carmen Symes Dusek | KnowJudges", "description": "Carmen Symes Dusek, Texas 51st District Court. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-a5f587f769df9f3231ef4f9a) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.