Hon. Paul D. Stickney, (ret.)

Judge Stickney served 20 years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, from 1998 to 2018. During private practice and with the Federal Public Defender Judge Stickney tried to a jury more than 150 felony criminal cases, as well as civil cases.

During his tenure on the bench, Judge Stickney presided over jury trials, court hearings on motions, discovery disputes, search and arrest warrants. Judge Stickney conducted hundreds of guilty plea arraignments, bond hearings and initial appearances over his 20 years on the bench.

Judge Stickney has mediated hundreds of disputed cases during his tenure on the bench. He has attended mediation-training sessions by the Federal Judicial Center honing his skills. Judge Stickney has the ability to exact fairness thereby gaining the trust of all parties in a dispute. He can fuse the personal with the professional to reach an end goal – acceptable to all parties.

Judge Stickney enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1972. He served at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as well as Wiesbaden, Germany, working as an Intelligence Operations Specialist with a Top-Secret security clearance. Judge Stickney was Honorably Discharged December 24, 1975 at the rank of sergeant.

Judge Stickney began his law career in 1981 when he co-founded the Breit & Stickney Law Office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He helped run this firm until 1990, when he became the First Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas. He held that post eight years, until his appointment to the bench in 1998.