On June 7, 2026, Texas lost one of its great jurists. I lost a dear friend and colleague.
Ron Chapman followed a fairly traditional path to a judicial career, serving as both an Assistant District Attorney under Henry Wade and as a criminal defense lawyer with Crowder & Mattox before being elected in 1978 as a felony trial judge in Dallas County. But what followed was anything but traditional.
Soon after his election, a dramatic partisan shift turned Dallas County solidly Republican. Literally dozens of Dallas judges saw the writing on the wall and changed their political affiliation to the Republican Party. Not Ron.
I had always admired people who put their principles ahead of their own financial interests. Think Muhammad Ali, who walked away from the biggest title in sports, or Pete Seeger, whose successful musical career was put on hold by McCarthy-ism. That was Ron. It also helped that his principles were my principles. We immediately bonded over our shared working-class roots. Ron drove a cab and took on various odd jobs to put himself through both his undergraduate and law degrees at Southern Methodist University. This was not a man who let elective office go to his head. He was, and remained for the rest of his life, a man of immense humility, quick wit, and a remarkably big heart, who was easily approachable and grateful for his many friends.
It turned out that predictions of Ron’s political demise were premature. The same qualities that endeared him to those of us who knew him best also made him a formidable political candidate. Voters re-elected him to the bench throughout the 1980s. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Ron shared the same name as the top-rated radio DJ in Dallas. But Ron laughed easily at himself and openly acknowledged his “political debt” to the DJ — a lifelong case of mistaken identity that Ron joked added a few extra votes to his election margins.
In 1990, Ron received a well-deserved promotion to the Fifth District Court of Appeals, courtesy of an appointment from Governor Ann Richards. It was here that I got a chance to watch Ron in action, when Governor Richards also appointed me to the same court. Being two of only three Democrats on the 13-member court was a true bonding experience. But such was the respect that was afforded Ron that he was frequently able to forge legal consensus across party lines. Ron served with distinction on the appellate court for ten years before “retiring” in 2000.
And nothing was more ironic than Ron Chapmen calling himself “retired,” because he saved his greatest chapter for last. Ron could not stay away from either campaign trail or the law for long. First there was a principled campaign for Congress in 2002 in a district newly re-drawn to elect a Republican. Then it was back to work as a visiting judge, where the high demand for Ron’s experience almost made it a full-time job.
It was during his first year back on the bench in 2003 that Ron cemented his greatest judicial legacy in the infamous “Tulia, Texas Drug Bust” case. In 1999, a rogue undercover officer had single-handedly arrested ten percent of the town’s Black population, all of whom were convicted of drug distribution and given lengthy prison sentences based on nothing but the officer’s uncorroborated testimony. Authorities found no drugs, drug paraphernalia, weapons, or significant amounts of cash. The Panhandle Regional Narcotics Trafficking Task Force, which executed the arrests, was funded in large part based on convictions it obtained.
The case resulted first in a critical article in the Texas Observer, which in turn lead to a groundswell of national media coverage, including a series of articles in the New York Times, and television news coverage on both 60 Minutes and 20/20. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed writs of habeas corpus, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered evidentiary hearings. The original trial judge who convicted the defendants was forced to recuse himself.
That’s when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals appointed Ron Chapman as a special judge to preside over the evidentiary hearings. In a blistering ruling that gained national acclaim, Ron exposed the blatant perjury, declaring the officer “the most devious, non-responsive law enforcement witness this court has witnessed in 25 years on the bench.” His recommendation to overturn the convictions led directly to special prosecutor dismissals and full pardons from Governor Rick Perry.
In the years that followed, Ron Chapman continued to sit as a visiting judge, but also made an effort to enjoy an actual retirement with his wife Sally near Cedar Creek Lake. Of course, he became something of a local community activist there, encouraging the several small towns in the area to cooperate for common good of area residents. We stayed in close touch, regularly challenging each other to online trivia contests, attending the theater, a concert, or catching a baseball game. Even as his physical health declined, he remained intellectually-sharp and always made his friends a priority.
Ron is survived by his wife Sally, his son Ron Chapman, Jr and his wife Beth; and his daughter Charlyn Lambrecht and her husband Greg, as well as six grandchildren. Ron is laid to rest at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, and his photo hangs on the wall at Campisi’s Egyptian Restaurant in Dallas. History will remember him for his professional accomplishments. Those who knew him will remember him for his big heart.
Charles McGarry is a former Chief Justice of the Dallas Court of Appeals.