West Texas Patent Case Assignment Order Stays in Place, for Now

An order that changed the calculus for patent plaintiffs looking to file cases in Judge Alan D. Albright’s Waco courthouse remains in place under a new chief judge—for the time being.

Not long after joining the bench, Albright, a former patent litigator who crafted local rules to move patent cases quickly to trial, became popular with plaintiffs. At one point, nearly 25% of all patent litigation nationwide was pending before Albright, prompting criticism from Congress and US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Responding to this criticism, the Western District of Texas’ former chief judge, Orlando L. Garcia, entered ...