Ward
U.S. District Court Judge T. John Ward of Marshall will retire as of October 2011.
Judge Ward joined the bench in September 1999 after being nominated by Bill Clinton.
He is responsible for the implementation of the Patent Rules in the Eastern District of Texas. Such rules have attracted a great number of patent cases to the district as well as increase the speed in which such cases are tried. In fact, his district has been nicknamed "the rocket docket."
Judge Ward has announced that he plans to practice with his son Johnny Ward at Ward & Smith law firm, located in Longview, after his retirement.