--- title: "Sam S. Sheldon | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-s-sheldon-texas-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Sam S. Sheldon U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern 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 - Since September 17, 2018, Judge Sheldon has served on the Southern District of Texas bench - In summary: Judge Sam S. Sheldon is a seasoned federal judge with a background in high‐profile litigation, federal prosecution, and public service, now serving on the Southern District of Texas bench until 2026 - In January 2024, Judge Sheldon joined Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP’s San Diego office as a partner - United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, appointed in 2018 to a renewable eight‐year term - Deputy Chief, U.S. Dept. of Justice - Criminal Division - Health Care Fraud Unit, 2011–2013 - Assistant Chief, U.S. Dept. of Justice - Criminal Division - Health Care Fraud Unit, 2010–2011 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Southern District of Texas, 2007–2010 - Private Practice (San Diego, CA) — Litigation associate and later partner at Cozen O’Connor; also managed his own law firm - Private Practice (Washington, D.C.) — Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, chairing the firm’s Health Care Practice Group ### Education - B.A. and M.A. in Political Science — University of Southern California (USC) - J.D. — University of Houston Law Center At USC, he was Student Body President. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, S.D. Texas, 2018-present - Practitioner, Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, 2013–2018-09 - He has been named a Super Lawyer, Leading Lawyer in America, and Leading Litigator in America by Lawdragon, and his pro bono work was highlighted in The American Lawyer as the “Most Inspiring Pro Bono Win of 2015”. - Federal Prosecutor (2007–2013) — Assistant U.S. Attorney in Texas - Practitioner, Sheldon Law Offices, 2004–2006 - Practitioner, Cozen O'Connor, 1997–2004 - J.D. — Univ. of Houston — 1997 - M.A. — Univ. of Southern California — 1994 — Political Science - B.A. — Univ. of Southern California — 1992 — Political Science - Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the DOJ Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. - focusing on securities fraud and complex civil litigation. - handling cases across multiple areas of law. - Magistrate judges in this court assist district judges in trials, hearings, and other federal matters, and their terms are renewable. - overseeing nationwide health care fraud prosecutions. - Pro Bono Work — Successfully persuaded Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden to grant nine federal clemency petitions. - Notable Achievements — Oversaw major federal prosecutions, secured high‐value settlements in securities fraud cases, and won numerous DOJ awards, including the Special Achievement Award from the U.S. Attorney General. ## 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=49) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=49) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=49) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9589/sam-s-sheldon/) - [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/9589/sam-s-sheldon/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Sam S. Sheldon](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9589/sam-s-sheldon/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Sam S. Sheldon](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-s-sheldon-texas-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-s-sheldon-texas-us-magistrate", "name": "Sam S. Sheldon | KnowJudges", "description": "Sam S. Sheldon, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. 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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.