KYJKnow Your Judge v0.6.2by SwansLake
Judge directoryTonya Parker

Active Trial judge

Tonya Parker

Texas 116th District Court

Texas · Dallas

Identity verifiedOfficial profile locatedOfficial sources collectedPresentation intelligence
01

Overview

Identity and service

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

Judicial role
District Judge, Dallas County 116th Civil District Court
Service status
Active
Court level
Trial
Jurisdiction
State
02

Background

Biography and career

Gender
Female
Race
Black or African American
Political affiliation
Democratic (via other)

Education

  • University of North TexasBA, 1994
  • Southern Methodist UniversityJD, 1998

Professional career

  • Practitioner, Adorno Yoss White & Wiggins, LLP, 1998-2004
  • Partner, Adorno Yoss White & Wiggins, LLP, 2004-2007
  • Partner, Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail, LLP, 2007-2009

Judicial service

  • Presiding Judge, Texas 116th Judicial District Court, Dallas, TX, 2011-2014
  • Presiding Judge, Texas 116th Judicial District Court, Dallas, TX, 2015-2018
  • Presiding Judge, Texas 116th Judicial District Court, Dallas, TX, 2019-2022

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project public biographical data. Demographic and political labels are incomplete, source-attributed, and are not used to infer judicial behavior. “Via appointer” describes CourtListener’s attribution method, not verified personal party membership.

03

Before you appear

Preparation checklist

  1. 01

    Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.

  2. 02

    Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.

  3. 03

    Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

Scope note

Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.

04

Presentation rules

What the public sources say

Courtroom-specificExplicit
Pretrial, Hearing, Or Trial

Allowed with notice

Courtroom presentation equipment is available, but counsel should arrange advance familiarization through the coordinator and request permission or assistance before using it during proceedings.

Page
Policies and Procedures
Section
Audio/Visual Equipment
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Counsel may coordinate a time to become familiar with the equipment through the Court Coordinator. During any proceedings, counsel should request assistance and/or permission before attempting to use the equipment.

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Civil Hearing Or Trial

Allowed with notice

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.

Page
Official PDF
Section
Rule 21d(b)-(f); civil district and county courts only; current July 1, 2026 compilation
Effective
February 1, 2023
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
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).

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Civil Proceeding

Leave required

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.

Page
Official PDF
Section
Rule 18c; civil district and county courts only; current July 1, 2026 compilation
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances:

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

05

Courtroom technology

Published equipment guidance

06

Published opinion footprint

Decisions and citations

Opinion data is not yet indexed for this profile

This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.

07

Sources

Public documents behind this profile

08

Change history

How this profile entered KYJ

Current profile indexed

Identity imported from Dallas County 116th Civil District Court. 4 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.