Profession Attorney | ||
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Alma mater Texas Tech University B.A.
St. Mary's University School of Law J.D. Education St. Mary's University School of Law, Texas Tech University | ||
Walter David Counts III (born 1961) is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Texas and is a former nominee to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
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Biography
Counts received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 from Texas Tech University. He received a Juris Doctor in 1986 from St. Mary's University School of Law. He began his legal career as an associate at the law firm of Martin, Cox, Greenberg & Jones. From 1987 to 1995, he served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Travis County District Attorney's Office, with the exception of a six month period from 1990 to 1991, when he worked as a solo practitioner. From 1995 to 2009, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Texas. Since 2009, he has served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas. Concurrently with his other service, Counts has served in the Texas National Guard since 1986, serving as a State Judge Advocate since 2006 and currently holds the rank of Colonel.
Nomination to district court
On March 15, 2016, President Obama nominated Counts to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, to the seat vacated by Judge Robert A. Junell, who took senior status on February 13, 2015. On September 7, 2016 a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on his nomination. His nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress.