--- title: "Sam A. Lindsay | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Sam A. Lindsay U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas - State: Texas - 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, 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 ## 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/1390616) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390616) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390616) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1940/sam-a-lindsay/) - [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/1940/sam-a-lindsay/) - [Wikidata: Sam A. Lindsay](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7407063) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay", "name": "Sam A. Lindsay | KnowJudges", "description": "Sam A. Lindsay, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay#judge", "name": "Sam A. Lindsay", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390616", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1940/sam-a-lindsay/" ], "birthDate": "1951", "birthPlace": "San Antonio, TX", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Texas School of Law" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "St. Mary's University" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Texas", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/texas" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sam A. Lindsay", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-a-lindsay" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 417 | 17 | 0.4 | 17 | | 2y | 799 | 221 | 2.5 | 221 | | 5y | 1761 | 1126 | 4.3 | 1126 | | 10y | 3372 | 2733 | 4.8 | 2733 | 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.