--- title: "Richard A. Schell | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Richard A. Schell U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern 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 - Visiting professor, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2010-present - Assistant district attorney, Collin County, TX, 1976-present - As of 2026, Schell is listed as Senior Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, with his official court contact at the U.S. Courthouse, Plano, TX - Judge, District Court, E.D. Texas, 1988-2015 - held the role of Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Texas from 1994 to 2001 - Judge, Collin County [Texas] Two Hundred and Nineteenth District Court, 1986-1988 - Judge, 219th Judicial District Court of Texas (1986–1988) - Judge, Collin County [Texas] Court at Law, 1982-1986 - Assistant district attorney, Collin County, Texas, 1976 - Richard Alexander Schell is a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ### Education - Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) — J.D. (1975) - Dedman School of Law at SMU in — J.D. (1975) - Southern Methodist University (SMU) in — B.A. (1972) ### Additional information - Assumed inactive senior status on June 13, 2023 - Took senior status on March 10, 2015 - Nominated by President Ronald Reagan on April 13, 1988, to replace William M. Steger - Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 27, 1988; commissioned June 6, 1988 - Private practice, McKinney, TX, 1977-1982 - Private practice, McKinney, Texas, 1977-1982 - Instructor, Southern Methodist University Law School, 1975-1976 - He held the role of an instructor at SMU Law from 1975 to 1976. - Born March 10, 1950, in Dallas, Texas. - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - Birth place: Dallas, 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/1387446) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387446) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387446) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2858/richard-a-schell/) - [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/2858/richard-a-schell/) - [Judge Richard A. Schell](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387446) - [Wikidata: Richard A. Schell](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7323597) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell", "name": "Richard A. Schell | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard A. Schell, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell#judge", "name": "Richard A. 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Schell", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-a-schell" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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 | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 5y | 6 | 5 | Not available | 5 | | 10y | 589 | 588 | 9 | 588 | 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.