AG Paxton Applauds Senate Confirmation of Texas Deputy Solicitor General Cam Barker to the U.S. District Court in Tyler

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today applauded Texas Deputy Solicitor General J. Campbell Barker’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler. Barker joined the attorney general’s office in 2015 and has handled a wide range of state and federal cases.

“I’m pleased that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Cam Barker to fill an important judgeship in the Eastern District of Texas that has been vacant for almost four years,” Attorney General Paxton said. “He has impeccable credentials and a passionate commitment to upholding the rule of law. Cam understands that the duty of a judge is to interpret the law, not to legislate from the bench. His outstanding record of excellence and professionalism will serve him and our country well as our newest federal district court judge.”

Barker spent four years as an attorney in the appellate section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including a period in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia as a special assistant U.S. attorney.

After graduating from Texas A&M, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering, Barker earned his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He clerked with Judge John Walker on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and Judge William Bryson on the of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Barker worked his way from an associate to a partner at the Texas civil litigation law firm Yetter Coleman LLP before becoming deputy solicitor general.

During his time with the DOJ and the state of Texas, Barker worked on a number of nationally important legal cases and drafted nearly 100 U.S. Supreme Court briefs. While in private practice, Barker’s pro bono work earned him the distinction of Texas Lawyer’s “Appellate Lawyer of the Week” for a win on a 5th Circuit case.

President Trump nominated Barker to the federal bench in January 2018. The Eastern District of Texas is made up of 43 of the 254 counties in Texas and includes three of the top 20 most populous cities in Texas – Plano, McKinney and Frisco. Twenty-nine district judges have been appointed to the Eastern District of Texas bench since the district was created in 1857.