--- title: "Mark Joseph Rusch | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-joseph-rusch-16022" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Mark Joseph Rusch Texas 401st Judicial District Court · Senior Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 401st Judicial District Court - State: Texas - Role: Senior Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2021-present - 2021 – Present: Part‐time Senior Judge, 401st District Court - Mark J. Rusch is a retired senior judge of the 401st District Court of Collin County, Texas, appointed by former Governor George W. Bush in 2000 and retired in 2021, continuing in a part‐time senior judge role - Presiding Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2017-2020 - Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2013-2016 - Presiding Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2009-2012 - Presiding Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2005-2008 - Presiding Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2001-2004 - Presiding Judge, Texas 401st Judicial District Court, McKinney, TX, 2000-2000 - Judge, Collin County Civil Court at Law, McKinney, TX, 1996-2000 - 1996 – 2000: Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 4 - pros, Collin County District Attorney's Office, McKinney, TX, 1984-1996 - Before joining the judiciary, Rusch was Chief Felony Prosecutor for the Collin County District Attorney’s Office from 1984 to 1996. - Began his legal career as an assistant district attorney, rising through the ranks ### Education - University of Houston Law Center — J.D. (1983) - Political Philosophy — University of Dallas — 1979 - University of Houston Law School — J.D. ### Additional information - Fully retired as of 2021 but continues to serve by assignment in his senior judge capacity. - 2000 – 2021: Appointed to the 401st District Court by Gov. - Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1989). - Registered as a Republican. - Rusch has been active in the American Judges Association, Collin County Bar Association, Plano Bar Association, Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court, and the Golden Corridor Republican Women’s Club. - He also served on the Collin County Purchasing Board and Juvenile Board. ## 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://www.courtlistener.com/person/16022/mark-joseph-rusch/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16022/mark-joseph-rusch/) - [Texas 401st Judicial District Court current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16022/mark-joseph-rusch/) - [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/16022/mark-joseph-rusch/) - [Mark Rusch - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Rusch) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-joseph-rusch-16022", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-joseph-rusch-16022", "name": "Mark Joseph Rusch | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark Joseph Rusch, Texas 401st Judicial 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.