Judge Clark has served as U.S, District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas since November 2002, and Chief Judge on January 1, 2015. Board certified in Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he spent twenty-three years trying cases and briefing and arguing appeals in state and federal courts before taking the bench. During that time he also served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives. He authored the Texas Municipal Law and Procedure Manual, 2d, 3d, and 4th editions, and was a contributor to Rayburn on Condemnation (1990). Judge Clark holds a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Criminal Law. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Connecticut, where he received a B.A. in Economics with High Honors, and an M.A. in Economics.