Joel R. Hale at a glance
- Current role
- Constitutional County Judge
- Court
- Rusk County Court
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Joel R. Hale
Constitutional County Judge · Rusk County Court
Biography
Professional career
- The incumbent County Judge of Rusk County, Texas, serving since January 2011, and is running for re‐election in the November 3, 2026 general election
- Hale began his tenure as County Judge in January 2011 after winning a highly contested primary and a subsequent April runoff, defeating Kilgore attorney Tom Brown with 62.22% of the vote.
- Joel Hale serves as Rusk County Judge, the top elected official in the county
Education
Additional information
- Previous terms: Re‐elected in 2014 without opposition
- Before becoming judge, he was a longtime employee of Henderson Independent School District, working as a teacher, coach, principal, and administrator.
- overseeing Commissioners Court, county administration, and judicial functions.
- Over nearly 15 years, Hale has presided over major county decisions, including disaster responses to floods, fires, tornadoes, drought, burn bans, COVID‐era restrictions, and other community priorities.
- His office is located at 115 North Main Street, Suite 104, Henderson, TX 75652, and can be reached at 903‐657‐0302.
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
Rusk County 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
Rusk County 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 ↗Rusk County Court official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View Rusk County Court official directory ↗