--- title: "Roy S. Payne | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-s-payne-texas-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Roy S. Payne U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas - State: Texas - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - In 2011, he was sworn in as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, selected from over 55 candidates - Judge Payne held the role of a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Louisiana from 1987 to 2005 - Adjunct Professor, New England School of Law, 1979–1980 - Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Western District of Louisiana, 1977–1979 (to Tom Staff) - After law school, Judge Payne clerked for U.S. District Judge Tom Stagg in the Western District of Louisiana from 1977 to 1979. ### Education - He later obtained an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1980. - B.A. from the University of Virginia with distinction in 1974 and his J.D. from Louisiana State University Law School in 1977, graduating Order of the Coif and serving as an Associate Editor on the Louisiana Law Review, where he published notable legal articles. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Texas, 2011-present - In 2017 alone, he had 327 new patent cases filed before him, the highest for any U.S. magistrate judge. - Practitioner, Gregorio, Gregory & Payne, 2005–2011 - He returned to private practice from 2005 to 2011 - Practitioner, Blanchard, Walker, O'Quin & Roberts, 1980–1987 - focusing on insurance defense, products liability, tort law, and commercial litigation from 1980 to 1987. - He then taught as an instructor at the New England School of Law (1979–1980) and practiced law in Shreveport, Louisiana - representing plaintiffs in personal injury and commercial litigation. - Widely recognized for his expertise in patent law, having construed over 10,000 patent claim terms, ranking among the top federal judges in the number of Markman hearings conducted. - Beyond the bench, Judge Payne has held leadership roles including Chairman of Northwest Louisiana Legal Services, President of the Harry V. Booth American Inn of Court, and positions in the Shreveport Bar Association. - He has also contributed to the development of sample forms for patent and non-patent cases in the Eastern District of Texas. - Paul M. Hebert Law Center - Roy Steven Payne was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. - Birth place: New Orleans ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=47) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=47) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=47) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9564/roy-s-payne/) - [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/9564/roy-s-payne/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Roy Steven Payne](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Roy S. Payne](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28043537) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9564/roy-s-payne/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Roy Steven Payne](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Roy S. Payne](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28043537) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-s-payne-texas-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/roy-s-payne-texas-us-magistrate", "name": "Roy S. Payne | KnowJudges", "description": "Roy S. Payne, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. 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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.