Sam A. Lindsay at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Sam A. Lindsay
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas · Judge · Unknown · March 17, 1998–Unknown · Assignment source ↗
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas · Judge · Active · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- William J. Clinton
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
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Biography
Professional career
- Judge, District Court, N.D. Texas, 1998-present
- City Attorney's Office, Dallas, TX, 1979-1991
- After law school, Lindsay held a position as a staff attorney for the Texas Aeronautics Commission from 1977 to 1979.
Education
- University of Texas School of Law in — J.D. (1977)
Additional information
- acting city attorney, 1991-present
- In 2025, Lindsay was awarded the Virgil C. Lott Medal by the University of Texas School of Law, recognizing his contributions as a trailblazing African American alumnus and his impact on the legal profession and community.
- received his commission on March 17, 1998.
- City attorney, Dallas, TX, 1992-1998
- He then joined the Dallas City Attorney's Office, where he held multiple positions: head of the Federal Litigation Section (1979–1986), Chief of the Litigation Division/Executive Assistant City Attorney (1986–1990), First Assistant City Attorney (1990–1991), Acting City Attorney (1991), and City Attorney (1992–1998),.
- On November 8, 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Lindsay to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, created by 104 Stat.
- Sam Allen Lindsay was born on October 16, 1951, in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in South Texas.
- Date of birth: 1951-01-01
- Lindsay became the first African American federal judge in Dallas.
- Judge Lindsay emphasizes good faith settlement discussions, structured scheduling orders, and the use of electronic equipment in trials.
- He has chambers in Dallas, Texas and is licensed to practice in multiple courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- He is addressed as “Your Honor” and maintains specific courtroom protocols, including time limits for opening statements and rules for exhibits.
- Birth place: San Antonio, TX
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
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.
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 ↗
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Northern 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 Northern 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 July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory · effective March 17, 1998 · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗