--- title: "Terry W. Yates | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-27" --- # Terry W. Yates West University Place Municipal Court · Municipal Judge ## Profile - Court: West University Place Municipal Court - State: Texas - Role: Municipal Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ### limited criminal remote appearance Scope: statewide For the specific fine-and-cost hearings governed by Articles 45A.258 and 45A.259, a justice or municipal judge may allow a defendant to appear by telephone or videoconference when an in-person appearance would impose undue hardship. Evidence excerpt: If the justice or judge determines that requiring a defendant to appear before the justice or judge in person for a hearing under Article 45A.258 or 45A.259 would impose an undue hardship on the defendant, the justice or judge may allow the defendant to appear by telephone or videoconference. [Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.260, Appearance by Telephone or Videoconference](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/pdf/CR.45A.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Official roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.260, Appearance by Telephone or Videoconference](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/pdf/CR.45A.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates", "name": "Terry W. Yates | KnowJudges", "description": "Terry W. Yates, West University Place Municipal Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-07-27", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates#judge", "name": "Terry W. Yates", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates", "jobTitle": "Municipal Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "West University Place Municipal Court" }, "sameAs": [ "https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx" ] }, { "@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 W. Yates", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/terry-w-yates" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Yates has held the role of Associate Judge for the City of West University Place since 2005, presiding over misdemeanor cases in the municipal court - Private Practice: Since 1994, as a criminal defense trial lawyer - In 2018, Yates ran for Place 7 judge of the Texas First District Court of Appeals but lost the general election to Julie Countiss - Public Service: Assistant District Attorney and Special Crimes Prosecutor for Harris County, Texas (1990–1994) ### Education - Texas City High School (1983), B.A. in Sociology, University of Texas at Austin (1987), J.D., University of Houston Law Center (1989). ### Additional information - Public records show he was employed in this role from 2018 to 2024, with a reported 2020 salary of $4,889. - Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1995) and in Criminal Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (1999). - Notable Work: Litigated high‐profile cases including the “Kmart Raid,” former Houston Astros players Charlie Hayes and Ken Caminiti, Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina, Judge Denise Pratt, and the federal prosecution of Judge Samuel B. Kent. - He won the Republican primary that year. - Other Roles: Legal analyst for ESPN Radio; former staff member and instructor at the Trial Lawyers College in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, under Gerry Spence. - Yates is married to Senior Justice Leslie Brock Yates, previously of the 14th Court of Appeals, and they have two sons. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.260, Appearance by Telephone or Videoconference](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-7a6578736340dbebb75e89c7) — 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](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/pdf/CR.45A.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.260, Appearance by Telephone or Videoconference](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-0fa5a7f51969f3609de00053) — 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](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/pdf/CR.45A.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.