On January 16, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Pittman to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. On January 17, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Pittman to a seat vacated by John H. McBryde, who assumed senior status on October 9, 2018.[6] On March 5, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On April 4, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[8] On July 30, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 54–34 vote.[9] On July 31, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 54–36 vote.[10] He received his judicial commission on August 5, 2019.[11] He was sworn into office on August 8, 2019.[12]
On January 6, 2022, Pittman ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review, redact, and release data submitted by COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer for authorized use of the vaccine at an unprecedented rate. The data came from a Freedom of Information Act request submitted to FDA for documents beyond what was already publicly available on FDA's website as part of the approved vaccine's Action Package. Although the pace of the scheduling order required FDA to hire an additional team of contractors and expend roughly $5 million solely to comply with this FOIA request, Pittman ordered FDA to release documents at a faster pace, including at least 55,000 pages some months and at least 80,000 pages other months.[14]
On November 10, 2022, Pittman ruled that the Biden administration did not have the authority to forgive student loan debt through executive action through the HEROES Act.[15][16]
In July 2024, Pittman ruled that Federal laws banning people from privately possessing alcohol stills inside their homes (26 U.S.C. § 5178(a)(1)(B)) or privately operating alcohol stills inside their homes (26 U.S.C. § 5601(6)) were unconstitutional because enacting these laws was not within the scope of Congress’ constitutionally enumerated powers.[20]
Memberships
He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Tarrant County Bar Association, Texas Bar Foundation, and the American Judges Association. He is vice president and a founding member of the Tarrant County Federalist Society.[5]
^"Press Release: Judge Mark T. Pittman" (Press release). Fort Worth, Texas: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. August 8, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2023.