J. Brian Williams at a glance
- Current role
- District Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
J. Brian Williams
District Judge · Texas 503rd District Court
Biography
Professional career
- Rockwall County native and current judge of the newly created 503rd Judicial District Court, appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in October 2025 and sworn in on December 1, 2025
- Chief of the Civil Division at the Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office from 2006
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law — J.D. (2000)
- B.A. in Government, University of Texas at Austin (1995).
Additional information
- His term runs until December 31, 2026, or until his successor is elected and qualified.
- Appointed to the Rockwall County Court at Law in 2010; elected in 2012.
- Prior to that, practiced commercial litigation in Dallas, first at Weil Gotshal & Manges (2000–2004) and then at Deary Montgomery Defeo & Canada (2004).
- Earlier in his career, he held a position as Court Administrator for Rockwall County and as a legislative aide to U.S. Rep.
- Ralph Hall in Washington, D.C..
- Past president of the Rockwall County Bar Association and the Rockwall Rotary Club, and vice president of the Rockwall County Open Space Alliance.
- District Judge of the 503rd Judicial District Court in Rockwall County, Texas, a general-jurisdiction trial court handling felony criminal cases, civil trials, family law, juvenile cases, and cases involving the Texas Department of Regulatory Services (CPS).
- He is also active in local civic organizations and has served on various land use and open space committees.
- A lifelong Rockwall resident, Williams is married to Beth and has two sons.
- Official contact: Rockwall County Courthouse, 101 East Rusk, Room 202, Rockwall, TX 75087 Phone: (972) 204‐6200.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
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.
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 ↗
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Texas 503rd District Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Texas 503rd District Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings ↗Texas 503rd District Court official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View Texas 503rd District Court official directory ↗