Appellate Archives - The Texas Lawbook

SCOTX Asked to Revive Suit Against Gateway Church, Morris, Elders

The appeal to the Texas Supreme Court comes about a month after the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas determined the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine required the dismissal of nearly all the claims Cindy Clemishire brought against Robert Morris, Gateway Church and three of its elders. Clemishire argued that ruling transformed the doctrine from “a tool of qualified restraint to a totalizing shield that leaves churches immune from judicial oversight.”

September 17, 2026 Michelle Casady

SCOTX 2025–2026 Term by the Numbers: Petitioners Dominate as Reversal Rate Exceeds 75 Percent

The bottom line for this term: The odds continue to favor the petitioner once the Court grants review and sets argument. We dig into the numbers, looking at how many cases came from each Texas court of appeals, explaining how we calculated the Court’s overall affirmance and reversal rates, and examining which courts of appeals saw the most—and least—success on review.

September 9, 2026 Allyson N. Ho, Bradley G. Hubbard & Elizabeth A. Kiernan

Trial Court’s Post-Verdict Error Triggers Major Reduction in Damages for Alex Jones

A Texas appellate court Friday slashed more than $43 million in exemplary damages awarded against Alex Jones, holding that the trial judge erred by letting the parents of a student murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to amend their petition post-verdict in order to avoid the state’s cap on exemplary damages.

August 21, 2026 Michelle Casady

Panel: Ecclesiastical Abstention Ends Much of Gateway Church, Robert Morris Litigation

The court concluded that the doctrine — which, in essence, bars civil courts from deciding cases that call into question a church’s doctrine, internal decisions and governance — applied to completely end Cindy Clemishire’s claims against Gateway Church and its elders.

August 20, 2026 Michelle Casady

Fourteenth Court of Appeals: References to Racial, Gender Bias Mandate New Trial

In a breach of contract case where comments before the jury implied certain parties were racist, sexist or even akin to Nazi Joseph Goebbels, a new trial must take place, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals determined Tuesday.

August 18, 2026 Michelle Casady

Mavs, Stars Reach Agreement to Vacate Biz Court Ruling

The two Dallas sports franchises filed a joint motion with the 15th Court of Appeals to vacate judgment and remand the case to the Texas Business Court for dismissal. The Mavericks sued the Stars to enforce the terms of partnership contracts the teams signed nearly 25 years ago.

August 17, 2026 Alexa Shrake

Here’s What the 5th Court of Appeals Financial Disclosure Forms Show

Stocks in technology companies and reimbursements are among the financial interests detailed in the 5th Court of Appeals justices’ financial disclosure forms for the past year. The Texas Lawbook made an open records request for the forms of the 13 sitting justices.

August 13, 2026 Alexa Shrake

We Requested SCOTX Financial Disclosure Forms. Here’s What They Show

Conferences, real estate investments and stock in ExxonMobil are among the financial interests the Texas Supreme Court justices’ financial disclosure forms detail for the past year. The Texas Lawbook made an open records request for the forms of the nine sitting justices in May. Four of the justices requested extensions. The Lawbook obtained the rest of the forms in July.

July 28, 2026 Alexa Shrake

Trailblazing Texas Judge Ruby Kless Sondock Dies at 100

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court in a regular session and Harris County’s first female district judge, died last week at age 100. Sondock, a 1961 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, leaves an enduring impact on the legal profession, particularly by advancing opportunities for women in the law, the school said.

July 28, 2026 Krista Torralva

Fifth Circuit Judge Criticizes Colleagues Over En Banc Grant in Death-Row Discovery Fight

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry Smith recently authored a dissent arguing his colleagues are spending the court's en banc bandwidth on the wrong case.

July 13, 2026 Jason Curriden

Houston Appellate Court Paves Way for 4th Bellwether Trial Against 3M

In its request for a stay or a continuance, 3M argued nine weeks between trials wasn’t enough time to prepare, that its lead attorney had timely filed a vacation letter that, under local rules, should have protected her from the July 13 trial setting, and that it only learned the identities of 20 of the 30 plaintiffs in the case on March 27.

July 2, 2026 Michelle Casady

How the 5th Circuit Fared in the October 2025 SCOTUS Term

The U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2025 docket delivered a substantial course correction for the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, with the high court reversing or vacating its rulings more often than not.

The Texas Lawbook looks at Fifth Circuit decisions recently reviewed by the Supreme Court, including summaries for the high court’s merits docket, its emergency docket and its grant-vacate-remand orders.

June 29, 2026 Jason Curriden