The Eastern District of Texas Bar Association (EDTX Bar Association) was founded in 1995 by a group of individuals dedicated to the rule of law through the preservation of trial by jury. The mission of the EDTX Bar Association is to facilitate the administration of justice in the Eastern District of Texas, one of Texas’ oldest federal judicial districts, with its origin dating back to 1857.

Historically, the Eastern District of Texas included the entire Eastern half of Texas and “…was particularly involved in post-Civil War property rights disputes, federal vs. state law issues and voting rights cases. In later years the Eastern District of Texas went on to play a significant “…role in the populist era of the 1900’s, the oil boom of the Twenties and Thirties, the Civil Rights era and the postwar population, business, energy, and tech booms (Barringer p. 11).

The current configuration of the EDTX still includes the 43 most eastern counties in Texas. Extending from Cooke County in the Northwest to Jefferson County in the Southeast, the District encompasses over 50,000 square miles. Its population in the 2020 census was calculated to be approximately 4 million and has courthouses located in Tyler (Headquarters), Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall, Plano, Sherman, and Texarkana.

The mission of the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association is to foster a professional working relationship between members of the bench and bar in order to further the administration of justice in the Eastern District of Texas. This mission is carried out today by building on the rich and relevant history of the District and by promoting activities, programs and education which foster:

The highest ethical and professional standards among lawyers admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Devotion to the improvement of the legal profession and the legal community as a whole in the Eastern District of Texas.

The preservation of high standards of integrity, honor, professionalism, and courtesy in the legal profession among the lawyers admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The cultivation of a spirit of good fellowship and collegiality among the members of the bench and bar.

A forum for the discussion and debate of subjects relevant to the practice of law in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas among the lawyers and judges of the district.

Improving the reputation of the legal profession and the legal community in the Eastern District of Texas.

All other things which the board of directors may determine are necessary or helpful to improve the practice of law in the Eastern District of Texas subject only to the limitations placed on non-profit corporations by the laws of the State of Texas or which are placed on Section 501 (c)(6) corporations by the laws of the United States.

The EDTX Bar Association is proud to host one of the nation’s top annual bench bar conferences – drawing judges, lawyers, topic speakers, guests, and other participants from across the country and globe. This conference has the well-earned reputation of being the “go-to annual gathering” for judges and lawyers to discuss a broad range of cutting-edge legal topics.

Collegiality and the Constitution: The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 1846 – 2006, Barringer, Mark, 2020 Stephen F. Austin University Press