Hon. Morton V. Rucker is the Presiding Judge of the Seventh Administrative Judicial Region of Texas. He was reappointed to the position by Governor Gregg Abbott in 2019.
He also serves as a senior judge for the 318th District Court of Texas in Midland County. Rucker was first appointed to the 318th District Court by former Governor Bill Clements in 1988. He retired in 2014.
He is board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Rucker earned a B.S. in business administration from Trinity University. He went on to complete a J.D. at St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Rucker is a member of the Family Law Section and Judicial Section (past chair) of the State Bar of Texas. His other memberships include the Midland County Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists, the Texas Center for the Judiciary, and the College of the State Bar of Texas.
Rucker also served as a charter commissioner and a jurist in residence on the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.
He received the Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award from the Texas Bar Foundation (2014) and the Chair’s Award for Excellence from the Texas Center for the Judiciary (2006). Rucker was also named Jurist of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (2005) and the Clayton E. Evans Judge of the Year by Texas CASA (1997).