Sam Sparks (September 27, 1939 – September 17, 2025) was a United States district judge of the Austin Division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 11/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 12/year
Texas Western District Court · 1991–2025
Both charts share the same year axis. Opinion counts include only opinions in our corpus attributed to this judge so far — a year at zero can mean an attribution gap, not judicial silence. Influence typically outlasts the career: citations keep climbing after the last opinion.
- Gender
- Male
- Race
- White
Prior employment
- Private practice, El Paso, Texas1965–1991
Law clerk , Hon. Homer Thornberry · 1964–1965
Appointments
- 1991–2025 · Appointed by George H.W. Bush (Republican)Term ended: Death
Education
LL.B. · 1963- University of TexasB.A. · 1961