---
title: "Robert William Schroeder III | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-william-schroeder-iii"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Robert William Schroeder III

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: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, E.D. Texas, 2014-present
- Robert William Schroeder III is an active United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, appointed in 2014 by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate by voice vote
- 1999–2014: Partner at Patton, Tidwell, Schroeder & Culbertson, LLP, Texarkana, TX
- Law clerk, Hon. Richard S. Arnold, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1997-1999

### Education

- B.A. in 1989, University of Arkansas at Little Rock J.D. in 1994, American University Washington College of Law

### Additional information

- Associate counsel, President William J. Clinton, 1997-present
- Apple, where VirnetX won a $302 million verdict against Apple in 2017, with total damages near $439 million.
- Nominated: June 26, 2014, by President Obama to replace retired Judge David Folsom
- Senate Hearing: September 9, 2014
- Commissioned: December 19, 2014
- Confirmed: December 16, 2014, by voice vote
- Private practice, Texarkana, TX, 1999-2014
- Assistant counsel, President William J. Clinton, 1995-1996
- 1995–1996: Assistant Counsel to President Bill Clinton
- Born: 1966, Texarkana, Texas
- Date of birth: 1966-01-01
- Schroeder is one of the most active patent judges in the U.S.
- handling a large share of patent cases in Marshall and Tyler, Texas.
- handling complex civil litigation
- 5% personal injury torts
- His notable cases include VirnetX v.
- Birth place: Texarkana, 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/1394766)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394766)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394766)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2872/robert-william-schroeder-iii/)
- [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/2872/robert-william-schroeder-iii/)
- [Wikidata: Robert W. Schroeder III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17318918)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 290 | 2 | Not available | 2 |
| 2y | 618 | 97 | 4.2 | 97 |
| 5y | 1208 | 587 | 8.6 | 587 |
| 10y | 3020 | 2388 | 7.8 | 2388 |

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.
