Judge Roy Sparkman was a district judge in Texas and tried many felony (including capital murder), civil, and family law cases. As a practicing attorney, Judge Sparkman's interest in religious liberty peaked when he represented a pastor subpoenaed as a witness for a deposition and trial testimony based on the pastor's sermon attacking books in the children's section of the public library as being contrary to the Bible. Judge Sparkman has served as a deacon in his local church, as an executive committee officer for the Southern Baptist Convention, as a director and member of the executive committee for the State Bar of Texas, and served twelve years as a trustee for the Wichita Falls, Texas, School District (including president for seven years). A Pastor's Pit is Judge Sparkman's first book.