Stuti Patel at a glance
- Current role
- District Associate Judge
- Court
- 400th District Court
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Stuti Patel
District Associate Judge · 400th District Court
Biography
Professional career
- Associate Judge, Texas 240th Judicial District Court, Richmond, TX, 2021-present
- Associate Judge for the 400th District Court in Fort Bend County, Texas, a position she has held since 2015
- Assistant District Attorney, Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, Richmond, TX, 2021-2021
- Associate Judge, 240th & 400th Judicial District Courts, Richmond, TX, 2015-2020
- Assistant District Attorney, Fort Bend County, Fort Bend, TX, 2000-2015
- Assistant District Attorney — Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office (2000–2015), serving in the Felony Trial, Juvenile, Domestic Violence, and Misdemeanor divisions
- Private Practice — Watts & Associates (1996–1998)
- Her courtroom is located at the Fort Bend County Justice Center, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, TX
- Stuti Trehan Patel is an Associate Judge of the 400th District Court in Fort Bend County, Texas, with over two decades of legal service in public prosecution, judicial roles, and community leadership
- Her grandfather was a circuit court judge in India, and her parents ran a Montessori school in Fort Bend
- She frequently presents at community events and continuing legal education trainings on topics such as pro bono opportunities and legal careers, and volunteers as a mock trial judge and law student mentor
Education
- University of Houston Law Center — J.D. (1996)
Additional information
- Legislative Committee Member, Judicial Section Appointment, State Bar of Texas, Austin, TX, 2017-2020
- Social Work, with honors — The University of Texas at Austin — 1993
- Also assigned to the 458th District Court in some cases.
- Judge Patel is certified as a civil and family law mediator and a member of the Texas Bar College.
- Other roles — Adjunct Professor of Law at the Blakely Advocacy Institute, University of Houston Law Center; member of the Rice University Advisory Board.
- Born in Jalandhar, India, Patel moved to the U.S. at age two.
- She lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with her husband and two children.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
In civil district and county court proceedings, the court may permit or require electronic participation after appropriate notice; compelled electronic participation for oral-testimony proceedings requires good cause or party agreement, and a jury trial requires party agreement.
Upon appropriate notice by a party or the court, a court may allow or require a participant to appear at a court proceeding by videoconference, teleconference, or other available electronic means, except as otherwise provided in (2).Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings ↗
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Civil district and county trial courts may permit courtroom recording or broadcasting only under Supreme Court guidelines, with the required party and witness consent, or for ceremonial proceedings.
A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances:Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
400th District Court
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
400th District Court
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 27, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
Texas Office of Court Administration, active Judicial Directory official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View Texas Office of Court Administration, active Judicial Directory official judicial roster ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings ↗400th District Court official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View 400th District Court official directory ↗