The Hon. W. Bernard Fudge (Ret.) served as a judge for the 78th District Court of Texas in Wichita County. Fudge was appointed to the bench by former Governor Rick Perry in 2009, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Roy Sparkman. He retired on September 30, 2019.
Fudge earned a B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1967. Then, in 1970, he completed a J.D. at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
After graduating from law school, Fudge immediately entered into private practice. He first worked as an associate at Reynolds & Ridings in Oklahoma City. He left the firm the following year in order to join Gulf Oil Corporation, where he worked as an attorney until 1975. At that time, he returned to private practice, serving as an associate at Sherrill, Pace & Rogers (1975 to 1978) before settling into a position as a founding partner at Fudge & Elder (1979 to 2009).
His memberships have included the Wichita County Bar Association and the Texas Bar Association. He has also served as president of the Donnelly Chapter of the Air Force Association, the Burkburnett Housing Finance Corporation, the Burkburnett Trails and Tales, and the Burkburnett Chamber of Commerce.
Born at Sheppard Field, Fudge was raised on a farm in Burkburnett, where his grandfather first settled during the 1918 oil boom. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
Fudge is registered as a Republican.