The history-making justice and chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court recounts his personal and family history at a ceremony unveiling his portrait. The great-great-great grandson of a once enslaved man who served on the Waco City Council during Reconstruction, Jefferson remembers ancestor Shedrick Willis along with the judge who once held Willis in bondage but later joined him in guiding Waco into a new era. (Photo by Mark Matson)
After 7 Years, Fired Quitman Police Captain Will Have His Day in Federal Court
When Terry Bevill signed an affidavit in 2017 saying he didn’t think a friend could get a fair trial in Wood County in East Texas, he didn’t know he was signing the death certificate for his law enforcement career.
On Monday, a federal jury will determine if Bevill was wrongly fired.
Governor Appoints David Gunn to First COA
The governor on Tuesday appointed David Gunn, 63, of Beck Redden to serve as the newest justice on the First Court of Appeals in Houston. He is filling the seat vacated by April Farris, who was appointed to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals by Gov. Greg Abbott in June. Justice Gunn’s term will expire in December 2026.
SCOTX Transfers First Batch of Cases to New Fifteenth COA
In an administrative order issued Aug. 26, the Texas Supreme Court transferred to the newly-created Fifteenth Court of Appeals 88 cases that had been pending with various intermediate appellate courts. It’s no surprise to observers that the bulk of the cases, 49, were transferred from the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, which formerly decided most cases involving state agencies that are headquartered in the capital.
Thought Leadership: What to Know Before the New Texas Business Court Opens
In Haynes Boone’s latest “Legal Landscape” podcast, litigation and appellate experts walk through some of the more common concerns relating to the new business courts opening on Sept. 1.
Texas Supreme Court Rejects Constitutional Challenge to Fifteenth Court of Appeals
With about a week to go before the state’s new Fifteenth Court of Appeals goes live, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday morning, unanimously rejecting a constitutional challenge to the creation of the court.
Travis County District Judge Can’t Shake ‘Vexatious Litigant’ Title
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a unanimous panel opinion Monday rejecting Judge Madeleine Connor’s bid to have Chapter 11 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code declared unconstitutional. Judge Connor, who was added to the list of vexatious litigants after filing a flurry of pro se lawsuits against her neighbors, is barred from filing more pro se litigation without first seeking permission from the local administrative judge. She argued that barrier to the courts violated her First Amendment right to petition. The Fifth Circuit disagreed.
Brister Readies for Curtain Rise on Fifteenth COA
Scott A. Brister is winding down his appellate practice as he prepares to once again don a black robe. Brister, who has served at all levels of the Texas court system, on Sept. 1 will step into his new role as chief justice of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. He will be joined on the first and only intermediate appellate court given statewide jurisdiction by Scott K. Field, a Williamson County district judge and former Third Court of Appeals jurist, and April L. Farris of the First Court of Appeals. The trio will need their combined 30 years of judicial experience as they navigate some 70 state-related cases and prepare to develop jurisprudence for the new business trial courts. (Photo by Laura Skelding)