US Judge in Credit Card Late Fee Rule Case Viewed as No-Nonsense

A Trump-appointed judge in Fort Worth known as a “stickler” for local rules and courtroom decorum isn’t afraid to be at odds at times with other conservative judges and litigants.

Mark Pittman, one of two active judges in his courthouse, has twice tried to send an industry-backed challenge to the Biden administration’s rule capping credit card fees out of his courtroom, questioning its ties to Texas. But he’s been twice thwarted by the conservative appeals court above him.

Pittman has accused the industry groups challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule, which include the D.C.-based US Chamber of Commerce, of ...