Sidney Allen Fitzwater at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · Federal
- Judicial service
- March 19, 1986–present
Sidney Allen Fitzwater
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Available research
Case AnalyticsPrecomputed 1Y, 2Y, 5Y, and 10Y public federal docket metricsAI abuse cases2 directly linked casesBiography and careerSource-attributed professional, judicial, and education recordCourtroom rules2 sourced items, labeled by scopeSourcesOfficial and public records supporting this profile
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AI abuse cases
2 casesAI-related ruling · December 30, 2025
Johnson v. Digital Federal Credit Union
AI-related ruling · December 23, 2025
Allen v. Amazon
- Court response
- Warning
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Texas District Court, Two Hundred and Ninety-Eighth Judicial District, 1982-1986
- Private practice, Dallas, TX, 1978-1982
- Private practice, Houston, TX, 1976-1978
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, N.D. Texas, 1986-present
Education
- Baylor University · B.A., 1975
Personal record
Born 1953 · Olney, MD
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Testimony
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.
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 ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
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 ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380776CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1073/sidney-allen-fitzwater/Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts