Johnson Investiture. The Honorable Kimberly C. Priest Johnson was sworn in today as a magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Texas. The ceremony was well attended by area judges and luminaries, including Chief Judge Ron Clark (E.D. Tex.) and Chief Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn (N.D. Tex.). Judge Johnson has a long history with the Northern District. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Dallas and also served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Lynn. Congratulations to Judge Johnson!
Wichita Falls Update. At the investiture, Chief Judge Lynn announced that she will begin receiving a portion of her cases from the Wichita Falls Division, rather than receiving cases exclusively from the Dallas Division. This will not be the Chief Judge’s first experience with the Wichita Falls docket. In 2005, she presided over Johnson v. Wathen (No. 07:02-CV-87), a five-week civil-rights trial brought by the ACLU.