--- title: "LeAnn Kay Rafferty | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leann-kay-rafferty" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # LeAnn Kay Rafferty Texas 123rd District Court · District Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 123rd District Court - State: Texas - Role: District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Former attorney with Tekell, Book, Allen and Morris, LLC (2005–2010) and in private practice since 2005 - The elected District Judge for Texas’s 123rd Judicial District, serving in Carthage, TX, and covering Panola and Shelby counties, with a term through December 31, 2028 - Presiding Judge, Texas 123rd Judicial District Court, Carthage, TX, 2021-2024 - Presiding Judge, Texas 123rd Judicial District Court, Carthage, TX, 2017-2020 - Legal Counsel, Venado Creek Operating, LLC, 2014-2016 - Legal Counsel, Pine Forest Operating, LLC, 2013-2016 - Legal Counsel, Ameri-Tech Industries, LLC, 2011-2013 - Briefing Attorney, Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston), Houston, TX, ?-present ### Education - University of Houston Law Center — J.D. (2004) - Busines Administration, Political Science — Centenary College — 2001 - B.A. & B.S. in Business Administration and Political Science — Centenary College, Louisiana ### Additional information - She was first elected in 2016 and re‐elected in 2020, serving a four‐year term that runs until the end of 2028. - Practitioner, Tekell, Book, Matthews & Limmer, LLP, 2005-2010 - Rafferty presides over the 123rd District Court, which handles criminal and civil cases in Panola and Shelby counties. - Her office is located at 108 S. Sycamore St., Room 300, Carthage, TX 75633. - Birth place: Joaquin, 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 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://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Official roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15982/leann-kay-rafferty/) - [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) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15982/leann-kay-rafferty/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leann-kay-rafferty", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leann-kay-rafferty", "name": "LeAnn Kay Rafferty | KnowJudges", "description": "LeAnn Kay Rafferty, Texas 123rd District Court. 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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.