--- title: "Terry R. Means | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Terry R. Means 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: senior - 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, 1991-2013 - President George H.W. Bush nominated Means to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas on July 24, 1991, to fill the seat vacated by Judge David Owen Belew Jr - Justice, Tenth Court of Appeals of Texas, 1989-1991 - He then held the role of a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, 10th Appellate District, in Waco from 1989 to 1991 ### Education - Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) — J.D. (1974) - Southern Methodist University in — B.A. (1971) ### Additional information - Means has been married to JoAnn Harris since 1973, and they have three children and eight grandchildren. - He assumed senior status on July 3, 2013. - received his commission on November 5, 1991. - Began his legal career in private practice in Corsicana, Texas, from 1974 to 1989. - Private practice, Corsicana, TX, 1974-1989 - Terry R. Means was born in 1948 in Roswell, New Mexico. - Date of birth: 1948-01-01 - Recognized for his long-standing service in the federal judiciary and his contributions to both legal practice and community engagement. - During his college years, he was active in student government and political organizations, including serving as president of the Student Senate and participating in political campaigns for George H.W. Bush. - He resides in Fort Worth, Texas, and enjoys racquetball, pickleball, and following politics and history. - Birth place: Roswell, NM ## 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/1384951) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384951) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384951) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2202/terry-r-means/) - [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/2202/terry-r-means/) - [Judge Terry R. Means](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384951) - [Wikidata: Terry R. Means](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7704930) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means", "name": "Terry R. Means | KnowJudges", "description": "Terry R. Means, 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/terry-r-means#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means#judge", "name": "Terry R. Means", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384951", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2202/terry-r-means/" ], "birthDate": "1948", "birthPlace": "Roswell, NM", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law)" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Southern Methodist 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": "Terry R. Means", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-r-means" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 143 | 4 | Not available | 4 | | 2y | 270 | 73 | 2.5 | 73 | | 5y | 617 | 401 | 5 | 401 | | 10y | 1340 | 1124 | 7 | 1124 | 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.