--- title: "Harlin Dewayne Hale | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Harlin Dewayne Hale U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas · U.S. Bankruptcy Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas - State: Texas - Role: U.S. Bankruptcy Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas, 2002-present - He also clerked for then‐Louisiana Supreme Court Justice James L. Dennis and later for a federal bankruptcy judge - Since retirement, Hale has held the role of a JAMS mediator and arbitrator, and as a visiting professor of creditors’ rights at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law for 15 years ### Education - Louisiana State University — J.D. (1982) ### Additional information - 2024 Justinian Award from the Dallas Bar Foundation - Appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas in 2002 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, serving until his retirement in 2022. - 2021 American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Award - 2019 William L. Norton Jr. Judicial Excellence Award from the American Bankruptcy Institute - Jevic Holding Corp. (2017). - Before joining the bench, Hale was a partner in the bankruptcy practice at Baker & McKenzie in Dallas - overseeing high‐profile Chapter 11 cases, healthcare insolvencies, and the bankruptcy of one of the largest U.S. poultry producers. - Strasburger & Price — early career - McGuire Waddell — early career - He presided over thousands of cases, authored over 160 opinions, and was cited favorably by the U.S. Supreme Court in Czyzewski v. - His docket included major corporate reorganizations, Chapter 9, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy matters, and complex international insolvency cases under Chapter 15. - Harlin DeWayne “Cooter” Hale is a retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Texas, serving for nearly 20 years, including a two‐year term as Chief Judge, and is now a JAMS mediator and arbitrator. - He continues to be recognized for his mastery of bankruptcy law and his approach to resolving complex commercial disputes. - He is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Law Institute, and a past president of the John C. Ford American Inn of Court. - Legal career spanning four decades ## 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 ### motion form Scope: courtwide Request an order by written motion unless the rules authorize an application or the request is made during a hearing. State the grounds with particularity and specify the requested relief or order. Evidence excerpt: A motion must state its grounds with particularity and set forth the relief or order requested. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### motion notice timing Scope: courtwide Unless a motion may be heard ex parte or another period applies, serve the written motion and hearing notice at least seven days before the hearing. Serve supporting affidavits with the motion. Evidence excerpt: A written motion (other than one that may be heard ex parte) and notice of any hearing must be served at least 7 days before the hearing date, unless the court or these rules set a different period. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### contested matter notice Scope: courtwide In a contested matter not otherwise governed by the bankruptcy rules, request relief by motion and give the opposing party reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard. A response is required only if the court orders one. Evidence excerpt: Reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard must be given to the party against whom relief is sought. No response is required unless the court orders otherwise. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### disputed fact testimony Scope: courtwide Present witness testimony on a disputed material factual issue in the same manner as testimony in an adversary proceeding. Evidence excerpt: A witness's testimony on a disputed material factual issue must be taken in the same manner as testimony in an adversary proceeding. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### evidentiary hearing notice Scope: courtwide Use the court's procedure to determine, reasonably before a scheduled hearing, whether it will be an evidentiary hearing at which witnesses may testify. Evidence excerpt: The court must provide procedures that allow parties-at a reasonable time before a scheduled hearing-to determine whether it will be an evidentiary hearing at which witnesses may testify. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### evidence rules Scope: courtwide Prepare evidence under the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 43, 44, and 44.1, which apply in bankruptcy cases. Evidence excerpt: The Federal Rules of Evidence and Fed. R. Civ. P. 43, 44, and 44.1 apply in a bankruptcy case. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### oath or affirmation Scope: courtwide A solemn affirmation may substitute when an oath is required. The national rule identifies the bankruptcy judge, clerk, deputy clerk, U.S. trustee, and other authorized officers as persons who may administer it. Evidence excerpt: If an oath is required, a solemn affirmation suffices. [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8967/harlin-dewayne-hale/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8967/harlin-dewayne-hale/) - [U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8967/harlin-dewayne-hale/) - [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8967/harlin-dewayne-hale/) - [Harlin D. Hale - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Harlin_D._Hale) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967", "name": "Harlin Dewayne Hale | KnowJudges", "description": "Harlin Dewayne Hale, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967#judge", "name": "Harlin Dewayne Hale", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967", "jobTitle": "U.S. Bankruptcy Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8967/harlin-dewayne-hale/" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Louisiana State University" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Texas", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/texas" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Harlin Dewayne Hale", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/harlin-dewayne-hale-8967" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-52c9ad7e083212c057b747c7) — Bankruptcy proceedings only; chapter-specific limits 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-bankruptcy-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.