Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Justice Paul Green, the second-longest sitting justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, announced Tuesday that he is retiring at the end of August. A third-generation lawyer, Justice Green has been a reliably conservative vote on a state supreme court loaded with conservatives. Justice Green was re-elected in 2016 and his term officially ends in December 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott will appoint his successor.
The decision, which commentators are describing as “stunning,” will have regulatory consequences far beyond defining the criminal jurisdiction of state and federal courts. This article looks at key takeaways for companies with a stake in oil and gas development in the affected region.
Dallas appellate specialist Dan Geyser has argued nine cases at the U.S. Supreme Court - almost certainly the most of any lawyer in private practice in Texas. He argued five Supreme Court cases in two years – a large number for even the most sought-after Supreme Court practitioners. But last month, Geyser left his solo practice to join the Texas-based appellate firm Alexander Dubose & Jefferson as its U.S. Supreme Court and federal appellate practice chair. Why? Texas Lawbook correspondent Tony Mauro has the exclusive details.
Connie Pfeiffer joins Yetter Coleman with significant appellate wins under her belt and the desire to lead and mentor. Natalie Posgate lays out her background and how the professional persuader was persuaded to move.
In what has become a monthly ritual, the state’s highest court issued its 18th emergency order related to the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially extends its previous emergency order from May 26 for another month, except in a few specific circumstances. The ban on civil and criminal jury trials, as well as civil case filing deadlines, have been extended into September.
In a big win for private insurance companies, the Texas Supreme Court said more than $50 million in disputed air ambulance fees were covered by Texas Workers Compensation standards, not federal aviation rules.
Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht says domestic abuse cases are “up quite a bit” during the past 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are not enough lawyers doing pro bono to help abused women and children. The chief justice’s comments came during a webcast conducted by the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, which celebrated the 2020 Women’s Advocacy Awards.
An appeals court in Missouri handed 20 women, including two from Texas, a partial but still major $2.11 billion victory Tuesday by upholding a jury’s verdict against a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for making and selling asbestos-containing talcum powder products that led to the women being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
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