Judge Mark T. Pittman was confirmed as Fort Worth’s newest federal district judge in August 2019. He joins the federal bench after an impressive and extensive career that included stints as a private practice litigator, a law clerk for Judge Eldon B. Mahon, a federal prosecutor and a state trial and appellate judge.
In a wide-ranging conversation about his career and current office, Judge Pittman told his story and shared his judicial preferences: He asks litigants to be courteous and civil, to shun gamesmanship and to not overcomplicate things.
Rural Texas Roots
Judge Pittman grew up in the small town of Cooper, Texas. The son of a USDA soil conservationist and a schoolteacher, Judge Pittman didn’t grow up aspiring to the law. In fact, he didn’t know any lawyers, save one: Judge Lanny R. Ramsay, the state district judge who served a collection of communities in East Texas. Judge Ramsay was a respected community leader and role model. He was honest and fair. And he was, in turn, respected and admired. For Judge Pittman, that’s when the “judge seed” was planted.
Chris Knight is an appellate associate in the Fort Worth office of Haynes and Boone. He joined the firm in 2017 after clerking for Justice Jeff Brown on the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Leslie Southwick on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Excerpted from The Texas Lawbook. To read the full article, click here.
In a wide-ranging conversation about his career and current office, Judge Pittman told his story and shared his judicial preferences: He asks litigants to be courteous and civil, to shun gamesmanship and to not overcomplicate things.
Rural Texas Roots
Judge Pittman grew up in the small town of Cooper, Texas. The son of a USDA soil conservationist and a schoolteacher, Judge Pittman didn’t grow up aspiring to the law. In fact, he didn’t know any lawyers, save one: Judge Lanny R. Ramsay, the state district judge who served a collection of communities in East Texas. Judge Ramsay was a respected community leader and role model. He was honest and fair. And he was, in turn, respected and admired. For Judge Pittman, that’s when the “judge seed” was planted.
Chris Knight is an appellate associate in the Fort Worth office of Haynes and Boone. He joined the firm in 2017 after clerking for Justice Jeff Brown on the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Leslie Southwick on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Excerpted from The Texas Lawbook. To read the full article, click here.