--- title: "Juli Mathew | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juli-mathew" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Juli Mathew Texas County Court at Law No. 3 · Judge, Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3 (civil jurisdiction up to $325,000) ## Profile - Court: Texas County Court at Law No. 3 - State: Texas - Role: Judge, Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3 (civil jurisdiction up to $325,000) - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - She also held the role of Associate Municipal Judge in Arcola, Texas, and was elected Administrative Judge of the County Courts during the COVID-19 pandemic - Juli A. Mathew is the Presiding Judge of Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3 in Texas, making history as the first Indian-American woman elected to a U.S. judicial bench and the first Asian-American woman elected in Fort Bend County ### Education - J.D., Delaware Law School (2002) She also studied Dutch Criminal Justice at the University of Leiden, Netherlands. - B.A. in Sociology & Administration of Justice, Pennsylvania State University (1999) ### Additional information - Mathew has held the role of Presiding Judge since January 1, 2019, after being elected in November 2018 and re-elected in 2022 for a term ending December 31, 2026. - Born in 1977 in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India, and raised in Philadelphia, Mathew became the first Indian-American woman elected to the bench in the United States and the first Asian-American woman elected in Fort Bend County. - Date of birth: 1958 - Before joining the bench, Mathew spent over 15 years as a practicing attorney in Texas, specializing in mass tort, civil litigation, probate, and criminal cases. - Fluent in English and Malayalam. - Active in the National Association of Women Judges, chairs the U.S. DOJ Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, and leads the Color of Justice Conference. - She founded Fort Bend County’s first Juvenile Intervention and Mental Health Court. - She presides over a broad docket including criminal cases, juvenile justice, civil matters up to $325,000, probate, guardianship, eminent domain, mental health commitments, and Justice of the Peace appeals. - In summary, Judge Juli A. Mathew is a trailblazer in the U.S. judicial system, combining legal expertise, community leadership, and a record of historic firsts in Fort Bend County. - She has taught strategic legal writing at the University of Houston Law Center and is a frequent keynote speaker. ## 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 ### remote motions and in person trials Scope: judge specific County Court at Law No. 3 hears civil motions by Zoom but conducts all civil trials in person. The motion and proposed order must be e-filed before a hearing is requested. Evidence excerpt: All civil motions are heard via ZOOM. The motion and order must be e-filed before requesting a hearing date. All civil trials will be in person. [County Court at Law No. 3 Civil Matters](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-courts-at-law/county-court-at-law-3/court-information/civil-matters) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### trial exhibits and video Scope: courtwide Fort Bend County Courts at Law require civil trial exhibits to be premarked when possible, written exhibit objections to be submitted before trial, and objections to trial video to be made at the pretrial conference or waived. Evidence excerpt: In so far as is possible, counsel for the parties shall pre-mark for identification all exhibits to be introduced into evidence, and shall notify the Court as to those items upon which counsel can agree may be admitted into evidence without objection and submit all objections to exhibits in writing to the Court prior to trial. [Fort Bend County Courts at Law Local Rule 3: Civil Cases](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/sites/default/files/document-central/document-central/county-clerk-documents/rules/local-rules-court/Rule3.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### civil remote appearances Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### civil recording and broadcasting Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-courts-at-law/county-court-at-law-3) - [Official roster](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-courts-at-law/county-court-at-law-3) - [Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3 official judicial roster](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-courts-at-law/county-court-at-law-3) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [Fort Bend County Courts at Law Local Rule 3: Civil Cases](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/sites/default/files/document-central/document-central/county-clerk-documents/rules/local-rules-court/Rule3.pdf) - [County Court at Law No. 3 Civil Matters](https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-courts-at-law/county-court-at-law-3/court-information/civil-matters) - [Wikidata: Juli Mathew](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135933422) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juli-mathew", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juli-mathew", "name": "Juli Mathew | KnowJudges", "description": "Juli Mathew, Texas County Court at Law No. 3. 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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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-a5f587f769df9f3231ef4f9a) — 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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.