--- title: "John David Rainey | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # John David Rainey 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: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, having assumed senior status on June 11, 2010 - Judge, District Court, S.D. Texas, 1990-2010 - Judge, Brazoria County [Texas] One Hundred and Forty-Ninth District Court, 1987-1990 - Was a judge on the 149th District Court, Brazoria County, Texas (1987–1990) - In summary: John David Rainey is a veteran Texas attorney and judge with a long career in private practice, local court service, and federal judicial work, now serving in senior status on the Southern District of Texas bench ### Education - Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) in — J.D. (1972) - B.B.A. — Southern Methodist University — 1967 ### Additional information - data, Rainey handled 6,161 district court cases between 1981 and 2025, with a median case resolution time of about 349 days. - He took senior status in June 2010. - On January 24, 1990, President George H. W. Bush nominated Rainey to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, replacing Gabrielle Kirk McDonald. - Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 1990 and commissioned on May 14, 1990. - Director, Angleton [Texas] Chamber of Commerce, 1983-1987 - Private practice, Angleton, TX, 1979-1986 - Private practice, Angleton, Texas, 1979-1986 - Practiced law in Dallas, TX (1973–1979) and Angleton, TX (1979–1986). - Private practice, Dallas, TX, 1973-1979 - Private practice, Dallas, Texas, 1973-1979 - U.S. Army, 1969-1970 - Born February 10, 1945, in Freeport, Texas. - Date of birth: 1945-01-01 - 13% civil rights cases - Of 101 appellate reviews, 86 were affirmed and 10 reversed or vacated. - Smart v. - Christus Health among the most cited. - He authored 41 published opinions, with United States Ex Rel. - Rainey is married to Judy Davis and has three children. - He has been active in local civic and professional organizations, including the Brazoria County Bar Association. - Birth place: Freeport, 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/1386681) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1386681) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1386681) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2651/john-david-rainey/) - [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/2651/john-david-rainey/) - [Judge John David Rainey](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1386681) - [Wikidata: John David Rainey](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6228694) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey", "name": "John David Rainey | KnowJudges", "description": "John David Rainey, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey#judge", "name": "John David Rainey", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1386681", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2651/john-david-rainey/" ], "birthDate": "1945", "birthPlace": "Freeport, TX", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law)" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist 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": "John David Rainey", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-david-rainey" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 2 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 5y | 14 | 13 | 7.1 | 13 | | 10y | 65 | 64 | 6.3 | 64 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions 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-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.