--- title: "Leon Schydlower | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Leon Schydlower U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas - State: Texas - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Leon Schydlower has held the role of a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas since March 26, 2024, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate with a 90–8 vote (Schydlower was nominated by President Joe Biden) - Prior to this role, he served as a United States magistrate judge for the same court from 2015 to 2024, formally taking office on January 13, 2016. - Instructor of law, U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, 2017-2021 - Assistant staff judge advocate, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, 2011-2017 - Schydlower held the role of a trial attorney in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1996 to 1998 and later in the U.S. Navy Reserve (2000–2004) - Special assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawaii, 1998-2000 - Military prosecutor, U.S. Navy Trial Service Office Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1997-1998 - Assistant staff judge advocate, U.S. Navy Legal Service Office Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1996-1997 ### Education - University of Texas School of Law in — J.D. (1995) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, W.D. Texas, 2016-present - Since 2010, he has been a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve JAG Corps. - After a nomination adjustment to the seat vacated by Judge Frank Montalvo, Schydlower’s nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 29, 2024, and confirmed by the Senate on March 22, 2024. - He received his judicial commission on March 26, 2024. - President Joe Biden first announced his intent to nominate Schydlower on December 19, 2023, initially for the seat vacated by Judge Philip Ray Martinez. - Private practice, El Paso, Texas, 2000-2015 - Professionally, he worked as a special assistant U.S. attorney in Hawaii (1998–2000), a partner and associate at Kemp Smith in El Paso (2000–2002), and as a sole practitioner (2002–2015). - Born in 1971, Schydlower is the son of a Cuban immigrant and grew up in El Paso, Texas. - As a district judge, Schydlower presides over the Western District of Texas, which covers over 92,000 square miles and includes seven divisions: Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, San Antonio, and Waco. - The court handles federal civil and criminal cases, and appeals from this court go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. - Schydlower’s nomination received bipartisan support, reflecting his extensive experience in public service, military service, and prior judicial work. - He is recognized for his commitment to the El Paso community and his professional expertise in federal law. ## 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 ### electronic trial exhibits Scope: courtwide The Western District of Texas publishes JERS guidance for electronically capturing trial evidence and provides evidence-presentation equipment to members of the bar practicing in the district. Evidence excerpt: The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas uses the Jury Evidence Recording System (JERS) to capture evidence electronically during a trial. The Court provides evidence presentation equipment to any member of the bar practicing within the Western District of Texas. [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic exhibit submission Scope: courtwide For JERS electronic exhibit submission, the Western District of Texas publishes a single-storage-device requirement and directs parties to submit files by the deadline set by the assigned courtroom deputy. Evidence excerpt: All files must be provided on a single storage device such as a CD, DVD, or USB drive. ... All files must be submitted based on the deadline set by the CRD associated with your case. [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### 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/13761586) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761586) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761586) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9604/leon-schydlower/) - [JERS, Jury Evidence Recording System](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/for-attorneys/jers-jury-evidence-recording-system) - [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/9604/leon-schydlower/) - [Judge Leon Schydlower](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761586) - [Wikidata: Leon Schydlower](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125102945) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower", "name": "Leon Schydlower | KnowJudges", "description": "Leon Schydlower, U.S. District Court for the Western 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/leon-schydlower#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower#judge", "name": "Leon Schydlower", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761586", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9604/leon-schydlower/" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Texas" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Texas School of Law" } ] }, { "@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": "Leon Schydlower", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/leon-schydlower" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 941 | 106 | 1.4 | 106 | | 2y | 1190 | 238 | 2.6 | 238 | | 5y | 1215 | 258 | 2.8 | 258 | | 10y | 1215 | 258 | 2.8 | 258 | 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.