Royal Furgeson at a glance
- Current role
- Justice
- Current assignment
- District Court, S.D. Texas
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Royal Furgeson
Justice · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Biography
Professional career
- He successfully guided the law school through the ABA accreditation process, achieving provisional accreditation before retiring as Dean Emeritus in 2018.
- In 2012, Furgeson became the founding Dean of the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, officially assuming the role in 2013
- Justice, District Court, S.D. Texas, ?-present
Education
- a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967, where he held the role of an associate editor of the Texas Law Review.
- Texas Tech University in — B.A. (1964)
Additional information
- In 2016, he was named one of the 50 Lions of the Texas Bar.
- Retired from the federal bench on May 31, 2013.
- Served in the Western District, including the El Paso, Midland, and San Antonio divisions, and later in the Northern District of Texas after assuming senior status in 2008.
- Nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1993, to a new seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
- Following law school, Furgeson served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, attaining the rank of Captain.
- Royal Furgeson was born on December 9, 1941, in Lubbock, Texas, the oldest of four children.
- After his military service, Furgeson clerked for U.S. District Judge Halbert O. Woodward in the Northern District of Texas.
- He then practiced law for 24 years at Kemp Smith in El Paso, Texas, specializing in trial law.
- received his commission the following day.
- During his judicial tenure, he held the role of a panel judge on the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, President of the Federal Judges Association, and chaired the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
- He also held leadership roles in the El Paso Bar Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the United Way of El Paso.
- During this period, he became a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute, and was Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
- He was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and later in South Vietnam, where he distinguished his service by carrying a typewriter rather than a rifle.
- Furgeson has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas Tech University, the West Texas Legal Legend Award, the Leon Green Award, the Morris Harrell Professionalism Award, and recognition as Jurist of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Filing requirements
Statewide
In Texas appellate courts, attorneys must electronically file civil and criminal documents, subject to a good-cause motion; self-represented parties may e-file but are not required to do so.
Attorneys in civil cases must electronically file documents. Attorneys in criminal cases must electronically file documents except for good cause shown in a motion filed in the appellate court.Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas current judicial profile ↗Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing ↗