T. John Ward

Thomas John Ward (born April 17, 1943) is a retired United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He is best known for the large number of patent infringement cases brought before his court in Marshall, Texas.

Education and career

T. John Ward was born in 1943 in Bonham, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 from Texas Tech University confirmed by the United States Senate on July 13, 1999, received his commission on July 15, 1999

Civic activities

Ward served on the board of trustees of the Good Shepherd Medical Center from 1987 to 1991 and 1994 to 1999, and was on the board of directors of the Good Shepherd Foundation from 1986 to 1988 and 1994 to 1997. He was on the advisory board of the East Texas Literacy Council from 1987 to 1991. In 2009, Ward was named the Trial Judge of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Patent infringement cases

Ward has been described as a "plain-talking Texan" who maintains a "folksy demeanor" and a "fiery temper". Hyundai lost and Texas Instruments was awarded $25.2 million in 1999. The Eastern District of Texas is one of eight with more than 100 new patent filings each year. One source claims that patent holders win 88% of the time in Ward's court, compared to an average of 68% nationwide. To speed things up, Ward adopted a set of rules covering both litigation and trial activities. Ward's rules were based on rules from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Defendants have incentive to settle rather than risk larger expenses.

Both T. John and T. "Johnny" Ward, and their connection are briefly mentioned in the 2017 feature-length documentary The Patent Scam produced by Austin Meyer (author of the X-Plane (simulator)).