---
title: "Sam Sparks | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sam-sparks-3048"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-02"
---

# Sam Sparks

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- State: Texas
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, W.D. Texas, 1991-present
- Law clerk, Hon. Homer Thornberry, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, 1964-1965
- Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

### Education

- B.A. — The University of Texas at Austin — 1961
- Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws — University of Texas at Austin

### Additional information

- Awarded the Sandra Day O’Connor Jurist Award in 2010 for judicial independence and integrity
- Appointed by: President George H. W. Bush on 1 October 1991; confirmed 21 November 1991; commissioned 25 November 1991
- Private practice, El Paso, TX, 1965-1991
- Clerked for Judge Homer Thornberry (1964–1965)
- Date of birth: 1939-01-01
- Presided over high‐profile cases involving: University of Texas admissions Conditions for detained immigrants Digital property rights Accountability of public officials
- Birth place: Austin, TX

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3048/sam-sparks/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3048/sam-sparks/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3048/sam-sparks/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3048/sam-sparks/)
- [Sparks, Sam | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/sparks-sam)
- [Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks – U.S. District Court](https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/court-staff/sam-sparks)
- [Wikidata: Sam Sparks](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7408188)

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## 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.