Justice Boyd issued a statement that he’ll be leaving the bench “near the end” of the court’s term this summer. “I am honored and blessed to have served on the Texas Supreme Court these past 12 years,” he said. “I’m especially grateful to gov. Rick Perry for appointing me to the court in 2012, to the many Texans who have encouraged, supported, and voted for me though two statewide elections, to my many court and campaign colleagues and coworkers for their friendship and inspiration, and to my wife Jackie and our children for reminding me daily of life’s most important blessings.”
Anti-SLAPP Law’s Automatic Stay Under Fire at Capitol
The Texas Citizens Participation Act has helped media defendants and public advocates fight meritless lawsuits aimed at intimidating them into silence. Now, legislators are reviewing the anti-SLAPP law’s automatic stay of trial proceedings during an interlocutory appeal of a motion to dismiss. Critics of the 2011 law say it is too broadly written, allowing unscrupulous defendants to delay cases that have nothing to do with free speech. The high-stakes battle is playing out at the Capitol where supporters from across the political landscape face off against powerful business interests — with observers wondering if a compromise is possible.
UPDATED: At Justice’s Request, Stephen Hammer Argues First SCOTUS Case
A fourth-year associate in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher made his first oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday when he defended a ruling by a lower court that neither the U.S. Justice Department nor the defendant in the case believe was correct.
Justices Dig Into Preemption Issue in Boeing, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Case
The crux of the case is whether the Railway Labor Act preempts the claims brought by SWAPA. Boeing says it does because deciding the case requires interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement between Southwest Airlines and its pilots. SWAPA says the RLA does not preempt its suit because the act only applies to claims between airline carriers and employees, and Boeing is not either of those.