Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod is the first former trial judge to lead the Fifth Circuit in decades. Colleagues on the court, and those who have practiced before her and volunteered alongside her, shared their insights about the jurist with The Texas Lawbook in interviews this week.
OAG Alumnus Justice Blacklock Rips Texas’ Briefing in State Fair Gun Ban Case
Justice Jimmy Blacklock, who, prior to his appointment to the Texas Supreme Court in 2018, formerly served as the general counsel to Gov. Greg Abbott and before that as an attorney in the Office of the Attorney General, did not hold back on his view that briefing from Texas was insufficient to secure the relief that was sought. The five-page concurrence issued Thursday stands out both for its tone and because of its author.
Wallace Jefferson Reveals Clues to His Improbable Journey
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)
Challenge to 15th COA Transfer is Filed
The jurisdiction of the state’s new Fifteenth Court of Appeals has been challenged by a party in a dispute that had been on appeal before the First Court of Appeals in Houston. A total of 88 cases have been transferred to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals.
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.
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.
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)
Plaintiff, Amici Urge En Banc Reconsideration in ‘Literally Unprecedented’ Axing of $222M Wrongful Death Verdict
Earlier this month, Kansas resident Kelli Most filed a motion for en banc reconsideration with the court. She argued that dismissal of her lawsuit against Team Industrial Services — which came after the Sugar Land-based company had unsuccessfully attempted pretrial to get the appellate court to move the suit out of Texas courts — on grounds that Texas was an inconvenient forum is “literally unprecedented.”