Justice Eva Guzman, a pivotal figure on the Texas Supreme Court, has submitted her resignation to Gov. Greg Abbott, effective Friday.
In her letter to the governor, Guzman said she was resigning “With utmost gratitude for the opportunity and gift of public service.”
“For more than two decades, I have endeavored to enrich the jurisprudence of our state and help Texas solve problems,” she wrote. “The experience has been immensely rewarding. I leave the judiciary with great respect and appreciation for the many committed groups and individuals across the state who have shared my mission of improving the delivery of justice in Texas.”
Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said Guzman has been a leading champion of legal aid to the poor through her role as the Supreme Court’s liaison to the Texas Access to Justice Commission.
“Justice Guzman has traveled all over the country and throughout Texas to raise awareness and support for equal access to justice,” Hecht said. “She also served as the liaison to the children’s commission which has done wonders making sure that all the key players are communicating so that the right decisions are being made.”
Hecht said her departure will not impact the remainder of its current term, which ends June 30.
After serving as a state district judge in Houston and as a justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals she was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 2009 by Gov. Rick Perry.
A year later, Guzman became the first Hispanic woman elected to a statewide office when she was elected to the post. Her overwhelming re-election in 2016 established her as one of the most popular Republicans in the state. And her continuing popularity has fueled speculation that she plans to challenge controversial Republican Ken Paxton for attorney general.
During her tenure, Guzman authored significant opinions on a wide variety of sometimes controversial topics. At oral argument she had the reputation among appellate lawyers as an engaged, active and well-informed questioner.
Some of her more significant opinions include:
Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth v. Episcopal Church, a case that concluded a decades long fight over church properties by competing factions of the Episcopal Church.
In re State Farm Lloyds, a leading Texas e-discovery case.
Anderson v. Durant, upholding a plaintiff’s recovery in a defamation action against employer.
In re Deepwater Horizon, in which an oil field developer was deemed not entitled to coverage for damages for subsurface pollution.
Jelinek v. Casas, regarding the admissibility of expert testimony of medical doctors concerning medical causation.
URI, Inc. v. Kleburg County, a much-cited opinion regarding the context of contract interpretation.
In one of the court’s most controversial recent decisions, Guzman wrote the majority opinion that reversed disciplinary sanctions against Dallas lawyer Bill Brewer for allegedly attempting to taint a jury pool. The case, Brewer v. Lennox Hearth Prods., was widely criticized by trial and defense lawyers as making it more difficult for judges to police lawyer misconduct in cases before them.
Ben Mesches, an appellate partner at Haynes and Boone, described Guzman’s tenure on the court as having been marked by a “fair, scholarly, and hard-working approach.”
“She was a trailblazer and a powerful writer. Her commitment to the rule of law and access-to-justice issues will leave an indelible mark on the Court,” Mesches said.
As a 1989 graduate of South Texas Law School in Houston and later an LLM from Duke University, the conservative jurist has embraced her status as a role model for young Latinas and in recent years has used her voice on the court to urge the Texas Legislature to improve school funding for economically disadvantaged students.
“I bring a sense of humility to my work,” Guzman told The Texas Lawbook last year. “I understand where there is room for growth and improvement and how to use resources to enhance my ability to serve the public.”
In her resignation letter, Guzman said she was particularly thankful for the opportunity to serve with a wide variety of public organizations, especially her work on two Texas Supreme Court commissions: The Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families and the Texas Access to Justice Commission (cited by Chief Justice Hecht).
“I have worked to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable in our justice system, and as the liaison to the Access to Justice Commission, I have worked to increase access to justice for low-income Texans. Through the ongoing commitment of all those who join in these efforts, this shared legacy will continue to grow and benefit the people of Texas.”
Mark Curriden contributed to this report.