--- title: "S. Maurice Hicks Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-maurice-hicks-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # S. Maurice Hicks Jr. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - 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, W.D. Louisiana, 2003-present - court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · role: Chief Judge · start date: 2017-11-03 · end date: 2022-12-05 · notes: Stepped down on 70th birthday mandate - court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · role: Judge · start date: 2003-05-21 · notes: Nominated by George W. Bush on January 7, 2003 (original nomination Sept 12, 2002), confirmed Senate May 19, 2003 86-0, seat vacated by Donald E. Walter ### Education - Louisiana State University Law School (Paul M. Hebert Law Center) — Law — J.D. (1977) - Texas Christian University — B.A. (1974) ### Additional information - Chief Judge: Served from November 3, 2017, to December 5, 2022, stepping down on his 70th birthday - Operation Wrinkled Robe (2008): A high-profile case involving the seizure of a large amount of counterfeit currency, in which Judge Hicks presided - Private practice, Shreveport, LA, 1977-2003 - Private practice — Shreveport, Louisiana · start year: 1977 · end year: 2003 - Law clerk and staff attorney — Louisiana Legislative Council · start year: 1975 · end year: 1977 - Date of birth: 1952-01-01 - Judge Hicks is recognized for his long-standing service on the federal bench, his leadership as chief judge, and his involvement in significant federal cases in Louisiana. - Birth place: New Orleans, LA ## 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/1391831) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391831) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391831) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1449/s-maurice-hicks-jr/) - [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/1449/s-maurice-hicks-jr/) - [Wikidata: S. Maurice Hicks Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7387688) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385011) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Maurice_Hicks_Jr.) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://professionals.justia.com) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://ballotpedia.org/S._Maurice_Hicks_Jr.) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-149/senate-section/page/S6639) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1449/s-maurice-hicks-jr/) - [Wikidata: S. Maurice Hicks Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7387688) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-maurice-hicks-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-maurice-hicks-jr", "name": "S. Maurice Hicks Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "S. 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Maurice Hicks Jr.", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-maurice-hicks-jr" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 234 | 24 | 1.6 | 24 | | 2y | 455 | 100 | 2.9 | 100 | | 5y | 1193 | 763 | 7.4 | 763 | | 10y | 2100 | 1655 | 7.6 | 1655 | 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.