--- title: "Fernando Rodriguez Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/fernando-rodriguez-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Fernando Rodriguez Jr. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern 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, S.D. Texas, 2018-present - U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, appointed in 2018 by President Donald Trump to the Brownsville Division - 2010–2018: Field Office Director, International Justice Mission — first in Bolivia (2010–2013) and then the Dominican Republic (2013–2018), leading efforts to combat child sexual abuse and human trafficking, resulting in over 110 victims rescued and 21 convictions - 1998–2010: Partner in Dallas office of Baker Botts LLP - 1997–1998: Briefing attorney for then–Associate Justice Nathan L. Hecht, Supreme Court of Texas - 1991–1994: Elementary school teacher in Houston, TX, through Teach For America - Rodriguez serves as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, covering the Brownsville division ### Education - J.D. — The University of Texas at Austin — 1997 - University of Texas School of Law — J.D. (1997) - Yale University — B.A. (1991) ### Additional information - received his judicial commission on June 12, 2018. - Private practice, Dallas, TX, 1998-2009 - Teacher, Teach for America, Scarborough Elementary, Houston, TX, 1991-1994 - Rodriguez was born in Harlingen, Texas, in 1969. - Date of birth: 1969-01-01 - focusing on commercial litigation - His chambers are located at the U.S. Courthouse, 600 East Harrison St., Brownsville, TX. - He is married to Terry Rodriguez and has four children. - Birth place: Harlingen, TX ## 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 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/4733056) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4733056) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4733056) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8630/fernando-rodriguez-jr/) - [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/8630/fernando-rodriguez-jr/) - [Wikidata: Fernando Rodriguez Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38976522) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/fernando-rodriguez-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/fernando-rodriguez-jr", "name": "Fernando Rodriguez Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "Fernando Rodriguez Jr., U.S. District Court for the Southern 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.