Nominees for vacancies in the Western District of Texas would be among the first under the current administration. Sens. Cornyn and Cruz are on board with Ernest Gonzalez and Leon Schydlower for courts in Del Rio and El Paso. Former president Trump had a considerably larger impact as he addressed a backlog of vacant benches in Texas.
Law Schools Could House New Business Courts
Tasked with implementing new laws creating a business court system for complex, expensive litigation, the Texas Supreme Court is gauging whether the state’s law schools might want to provide courtroom space. With 10 new trial courts and an intermediate appellate court coming online next September, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht discusses logistics and substantive issues the court is considering during its rulemaking process. Meanwhile, the chief justices for the 14 courts of appeals are identifying cases involving state government for likely transfer to the new Fifteenth COA, which will have exclusive jurisdiction over those cases and appeals from the business courts.
Regulations Cutting Roofers Out of Insurance Claim Process Challenged
Tensions between free speech and public protection were exposed during SCOTX arguments on licensing requirements for public adjusters. The justices posed hypotheticals about professions including lawyers, doctors and journalists, but the prevailing image was that of a roofer standing atop a house calling the insurance company.
Meet the Reasoners: Texas Legal Royalty
Harry Reasoner grew up on a farm outside San Marcos, milking cows and raising pigs for 4-H competition. At 80, he has had a storied career, representing corporations in some of the biggest trials in history. Clients pay as much as $1,500 an hour for his counsel. Now Reasoner’s two children – Barrett and Macey and the extraordinary courtroom success they’ve had – are making sure that their father’s legacy will continue for many, many years. Meet the Reasoners.
SCOTX Ponders Order Shutting Down Stinky Poultry Operations
The appeal involves high-powered lawyers and noxious fumes from East Texas industrial chicken farms. It presents important legal questions arising out of recent Texas Supreme Court decisions on temporary nuisances and permanent equitable relief.
Texas Appellate Experts Preview SCOTX Term
Coming off another cohesive term, the Supreme Court of Texas began its new session hearing arguments this week in a variety of cases. The Texas Lawbook hosted a panel of appellate experts on Tuesday to discuss some of the upcoming cases they are watching and reviewed significant decisions from last term.
Texas Seeks Stay of Federal Court Ruling Against School Book Ban
The fast-moving case is heading to the Fifth Circuit over the First Amendment implications of a new law requiring booksellers to rate material sold to public school libraries. Would Texan Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet be banned for sexual content?
Business Court Building Blocks Taking Shape
The hotly contested legislation establishing a new business court and intermediate court of appeals to handle complex commercial cases goes into effect Sept. 1 as litigators wait for judicial appointments and procedural rules. Many expect challenges to the business court’s system of appointed judges and the Fifteenth Court of Appeals’ statewide jurisdiction. Janet Elliott outlines the issues.
Foley’s Austin Office is Hub for Firm’s Government, AG Practices
Ed Burbach, a former top deputy in the Texas attorney general’s office, has assumed a national leadership role in the firm’s government practice groups. He is determined to grow the practices, saying that clients are thinking about state and federal regulatory issues and their lawyers should be, too. Burbach represents clients targeted by state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission. He also has managed the Austin office since the December death of longtime leader Kim Yelkin.
Assisted Living Center Fall Case Dismissed Under Medical Liability Act
The Texas Supreme Court said the wrongful death case was improperly cast as a premises liability claim. The plaintiff will lose her day in court by failing to meet a deadline for submitting an expert report required for health care liability claims. The assisted living industry was watching closely.