Patent Cases Clog Texas Federal Court as Certainty Search Shifts

A Texas federal court division’s attempt to spread out patent-related case filings in the wake of plaintiffs flocking to a single judge has resulted in them fleeing to another of the Lone Star State’s federal divisions and flooding one of the nation’s busiest courts.

Patent plaintiffs already showed little signs of returning to the US District Court for the Western District of Texas before Judge Alan Albright announced this week that he’d be stepping down. But with the departure of the judge known for attracting patent cases—presiding over 77% of all patent litigation in the district in 2022—the incentive ...