2020 Houston Judicial Appellate Races: The Candidates, The Issues & Factors

The men and women of Texas’ appeals courts are called justices for a reason. They’re typically the first people to scrutinize whether justice was truly served to their citizens in the trial courts they oversee. In the first of a special series on Texas judicial races, this article introduces the candidates in Houston’s two intermediate appellate courts and lays out the issues that Houston voters may consider about these races while filling out their 2020 ballot.

September 29, 2020 Natalie Posgate

“Well, that was unexpected…” Panel Considers SCOTX Term

The state's highest court dealt with a number of issues this past term — a COVID-19 pandemic, changes in personnel and a ransomware attack. But the court also heard a few cases, and a quartet of appellate experts from Beck Redden and Haynes and Boone discussed those cases in a recent panel hosted by The Texas Lawbook.

September 24, 2020 Janet Elliott

TexaSCOTUS: Texas Lawyers Gear Up for the Upcoming U.S. Supreme Court Term

Last term Texas lawyers were involved in most of the headline cases. In the upcoming term, it appears Texas lawyers will again have an outsized role. The difference: the absence of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and, sooner or later, the presence of her successor. Tony Mauro reports on cases Texans are watching.

September 23, 2020 Tony Mauro

Texans Reflect on Justice Ginsburg and Her Potential Replacement

Texas lawyers mourned the death Friday of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg whose contributions to the rights of women and the rule of law were fundamental and historic. Mark Curriden asked a few of them to reflect on her impact and how her loss could reshape the court.

September 20, 2020 Mark Curriden

John Browning Sworn in to Court of Appeals in Dallas

Civil litigator John G. Browning was sworn in to the Dallas Fifth Court of Appeals Monday. Gov. Greg Abbott announced his appointment of Browning last week as a result of the unexpected death last month of Browning’s predecessor, Justice David Bridges.

September 1, 2020 Natalie Posgate

SA Chick-fil-A Ban Tossed by 4th COA, Heading to SCOTX

Having lost, on appeal, their challenge to the ban on Chick-fil-A from the San Antonio airport, third-party defenders of the fast food company say they intend to have SCOTX review their case. Natalie Posgate reports.

August 28, 2020 Natalie Posgate

Is the Fifth Circuit Too Conservative Even for the Current Supreme Court?

With a 90% reversal rate in the term ending last month the U.S. Ninth Circuit continues to be perceived as a whipping boy for SCOTUS. But at an 86% reversal rate, the U.S. Fifth Circuit wasn't far behind. What's going on here? Tony Mauro looks at what some describe as a testy history between the upper and lower court.

August 20, 2020 Tony Mauro

Amici to Fifth Circuit: Mandatory Bar Crucial to Diversity, Justice in the Law

Eighteen prominent lawyers and corporate in-house counsel filed an amicus brief late Thursday stating that those seeking to have mandatory membership and dues in the Texas Bar declared unconstitutional fundamentally misunderstand the importance of diversity to the practice of law.

August 7, 2020 Mark Curriden

Record-Breaking SCOTUS Advocate Lisa Blatt Talks Texas

Lisa Blatt has argued more cases before the U.S. Supreme Court than any other woman in history – 40 cases, 37 wins. Born in San Angelo and educated at UT, Blatt embraces the state’s “Don’t Mess with Texas” bravado.

August 3, 2020 Tony Mauro

Texas Bar to Fifth Circuit: Mandatory Membership and Dues are Constitutional

U.S. Supreme Court precedent allows the state bar to collect mandatory dues to support programs that improve the quality if legal services. That is the Texas Bar's argument at the federal Fifth Circuit which is hearing an appeal by lawyers seeking to end the very existence of mandatory bar associations.

August 3, 2020 Mark Curriden

‘Meatspace,’ Cyberspace and the Dallas Court of Appeals

Cyberpunk fiction often calls the physical world “meatspace,” as distinct from the online world of cyberspace. Litigation does not observe that distinction. Disputes about personal jurisdiction often ask a court to review the interaction between the physical and online worlds. The Dallas Court of Appeals recently reviewed the current state of that important law in Shopstyle, Inc. & Popsugar, Inc. v. rewardStyle, Inc.

July 28, 2020 David Coale

UT Admissions Suit Redux Will Gauge Trump Court Appointees

The complaint filed by Students for Fair Admissions and orchestrated by UT grad Edward Blum is aimed at dismembering the Fisher and Grutter decisions that have sustained diversity in college admissions. Tony Mauro discusses the background.

July 27, 2020 Tony Mauro