--- title: "Roy B. Ferguson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-b-ferguson-15639" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Roy B. Ferguson Texas 394th Judicial District Court · Administrative Law Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 394th Judicial District Court - State: Texas - Role: Administrative Law Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Presiding Judge, Texas 394th Judicial District Court, TX, 2021-2024 - Ferguson held the role of District Judge of the 394th Judicial District Court in far west Texas (Presidio, Brewster, Jeff Davis, Hudspeth, and Culberson counties) from 2012 until December 2024 - The 32nd sitting district judge in Texas history to author a published appellate opinion, during his nine-year standing assignment on the 8th Court of Appeals (2014–2023) - Presiding Judge, Texas 394th Judicial District Court, TX, 2017-2020 - Presiding Judge, Texas 394th Judicial District Court, TX, 2013-2016 - Practitioner, Private Practice, Houston & Marfa, TX, 1999-2011 - Justice of the Peace, Presidio County, TX, ?-present - Administrative Law Judge, Texas 394th Judicial District Court, TX, ?-present - Judge Pro Tem, Texas Court of Appeals, 8th District (El Paso), El Paso, TX, ?-present - Prior to his judicial election, Ferguson worked as an attorney in private practice since his graduation from law school. ### Education - St. Mary's University School of Law in — J.D. (1994) - Civil Engineering — The University of Texas at Arlington — 1992 ### Additional information - In 2025, Ferguson received the Judge Merrill Hartman Pro Bono Judge Award and was named a 2025 ABA “Legal Rebel” for innovation in the legal profession. - In 2024, he earned multiple awards, including the Robert R. Dawson Award for criminal law and the Dan Price Award for family law. - Practiced in Houston before moving to West Texas in 1999. - Former Texas district judge and now a special/private judge, arbitrator, mediator, and master in chancery for family law and civil cases across Texas. - Discovery master and trial consultant - His court covered about 20,000 square miles and handled a wide range of cases — from felony criminal charges to family law and civil disputes — and included administrative oversight of county auditors, probation departments, and lower-level courts. - Dual board certified in Family Law and Judicial Administration — the only Texas private judge, arbitrator, or mediator with this distinction — and also dual arbitration certified in family law and civil litigation. - Active in State Bar of Texas leadership, serving on the Family Law Section board and as Co-chair of its Judiciary Committee, and as Chair of the Trial Subcommittee of the State Bar Rules Committee. - He also serves on multiple judicial committees, including the Judicial Committee on Information Technology, the Texas Taskforce for Responsible AI in the Law, and the Remote Access Committee of the Access to Justice Commission. - After three terms, he chose not to seek reelection, citing the honor of overseeing justice in far west Texas. - He is a commissioner and executive board member of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, commissioner and chair of the Standards of Representation Committee on the Texas Children’s Commission, and a trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation. - Birth place: Houston, 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://www.courtlistener.com/person/15639/roy-b-ferguson/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15639/roy-b-ferguson/) - [Texas 394th Judicial District Court current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15639/roy-b-ferguson/) - [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/15639/roy-b-ferguson/) - [Roy Ferguson](https://ballotpedia.org/Roy_Ferguson) - [Judge Roy Ferguson](https://judgeroyferguson.com) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-b-ferguson-15639", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-b-ferguson-15639", "name": "Roy B. 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Ferguson", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-b-ferguson-15639" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-119ce7e69a3752f1da3cfce0) — 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. - [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.