--- title: "Yvonne Ho | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-ho-texas-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Yvonne Ho 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. ## 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=50) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=50) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=50) - [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) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-ho-texas-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-ho-texas-us-magistrate", "name": "Yvonne Ho | KnowJudges", "description": "Yvonne Ho, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. 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Ho is a United States Magistrate Judge in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas, appointed on March 21, 2022 - Sworn in by Senior District Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr., for whom she previously held the role of a law clerk - Before joining the bench, Judge Ho was a partner at Bracewell LLP, practicing civil appellate law. ### Education - University of Houston Law Center — summa cum laude, valedictorian of her class — J.D. (2006) - M.Mus., University of Southern California, 1995 - B.Mus. (Piano Performance), Rice University, 1993 ### Additional information - 2025 Justice David Wellington Chew Award from the Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas - 2022 Impact Award from the Asian American Bar Association of Houston - Recognized by Chambers USA (Texas Litigation, 2020–21) and Thompson Reuters as a Texas Super Lawyer (2013–2022) - Recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Service (Houston Bar Association, 2019) - Criminal matters such as initial appearances, detention hearings, and warrant applications - Ewing Werlein, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas - Thomas M. Reavley, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - University of Houston Law Alumni Association Board, the Houston Bar Association, and other legal organizations. - Also active in mentoring law clerks, hiring interns, and speaking at law school and bar events. - Court Contact: U.S. Courthouse, 515 Rusk Street, Room 7525, Houston, TX 77002 Phone: (713) 250‐5681 ## 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.