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Samuel Biery
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1994 - Present
31
Samuel Frederick Biery Jr. is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. Biery served as the chief judge of the district court from 2010-2015.[1]
Early life and education
A native of McAllen, Texas, Biery graduated from Texas Lutheran College with his bachelor's degree in 1970 and from Southern Methodist University School of Law with his J.D. in 1973.[1]
Military service
Biery served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976.[1]
Professional career
- 1994 - Present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
- 2010-2015: Chief judge
- 1989-1994: Judge, Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals
- 1983-1988: Judge, Texas' 150th District Court
- 1979-1982: Judge, Bexar County Court-at-Law, Number Two
- 1973-1978: Private practice, San Antonio, Texas[1]
Judicial career
Western District of Texas
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Samuel Frederick Biery Jr. |
| Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Texas |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 111 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: November 19, 1993
|
| ABA Rating: Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: February 24, 1994
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: March 9, 1994
|
| Confirmed: March 10, 1994
|
| Vote: Voice vote
|
Biery was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1993, to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas created by 104 Stat. 5089. The American Bar Association rated Biery Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Biery's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 24, 1994, and his nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on March 9, 1994. Biery was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on March 10, 1994, and he received his commission on March 11, 1994. From 2010 to 2015, Biery served as the chief judge of the district court.[1][2][3]
Noteworthy cases
School prayer case (2012)
- See also: United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (Schultz v. Medina Valley Independent School District, 5:11-cv-00422-FB)
- See also: United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (Schultz v. Medina Valley Independent School District, 5:11-cv-00422-FB)
In February 2012, Judge Biery presided over the settlement of Schultz v. Medina Valley Independent School District. The case was filed by parents of two children in the district, who challenged the practice of sanctioned prayers at school events. The reached settlement specifically outlined all instances where prayer may and may not be mentioned, from graduation speeches to football games, in addition to training staff on proper use of religious language and non-retaliation towards students.
Judge Biery faced threats for his decision in the case, leading to increased protection from the U.S. Marshal Service. Biery added a personal statement to his ruling, addressing those threats:
| “ | To the United States Marshal Service and local police who have provided heightened security: Thank you.
To those Christians who have venomously and vomitously cursed the Court family and threatened bodily harm and assassination: In His name, I forgive you. To those who have prayed for my death: Your prayers will someday be answered, as inevitability trumps probability. To those in executive and legislative branches of government who have demagogued this case for their own political goals: You should be ashamed of yourselves. To the lawyers who have advocated professionally and respectfully for their clients respective positions: Bless you."[4] [5] |
” |
See also
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Samuel Frederick Biery, Jr.," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 928 — Samuel Frederick Biery Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed May 29, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 103rd Congress," accessed May 29, 2017
- ↑ Texas Lawyer, "Western District of Texas Chief Judge Fred Biery's extraordinary 'personal statement' in school prayer case," February 9, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas 1994-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
