---
title: "Earl B. Stover, III | KnowJudges"
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# Earl B. Stover, III

Texas 88th District Court · District Judge

## Profile

- Court: Texas 88th 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.

## 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)
- [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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- The elected judge of Texas’s 88th District Court, serving Hardin and Tyler counties, and has been on the bench since 1996
- Early Career: Judicial law clerk to U.S. District Judge Joe J. Fisher (Eastern District of Texas)

### Education

- B.A., Vanderbilt University (1975) J.D., St. Mary’s University School of Law (1978)

### Additional information

- He has been re‐elected multiple times, most recently in November 2024, and is scheduled to serve until December 31, 2028.
- Judicial Service: Elected to the 88th District Court in 1996; re‐elected in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.
- Presidential Commendation from the State Bar of Texas (2006)
- Private Practice: held a position as an attorney before joining the judiciary.
- The court’s main office is at the Hardin County Courthouse, 300 Monroe Street, Kountze, TX, with a court coordinator and reporter listed on the county’s official site.
- Boards for the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Association of District Judges.
- Earl B. Stover III presides over the 88th District Court of Texas, which covers Hardin and Tyler counties.
- Stover has been active in professional organizations, including the College of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Bar Foundation, and Hardin County Bar Association.
- Distinguished Service Award from the Hardin County Crime Victims Association



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-119ce7e69a3752f1da3cfce0) — 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.
- [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.