Two Texas appellate court justices ousted by the “blue wave” in the November mid-terms have landed new jobs.
Former Houston Court of Appeals Justice Bill Boyce has joined the appellate law boutique Alexander Dubose & Jefferson as a partner and ex-Dallas Court of Appeals Justice Jason Boatright has signed as a partner at Fort Worth law firm Cantey Hanger.
Boyce, who was appointed to the 14th Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Rick Perry in 2007, authored more than 600 opinions during his 11 years on the bench. In 2013, the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists named him its Appellate Judge of the Year. He was defeated by Democrat Meagan Hassan, a tax attorney, in November.
“Bill’s credentials are stellar, and his expertise and knowledge will be a tremendous asset to both our lawyers and clients. He also has an impeccable reputation for professionalism and integrity,” LaDawn Nandrasy, managing partner of Alexander Dubose & Jefferson, said in a statement. “We are honored to have such a strong and well-respected individual join our firm and are confident he will be a great fit with our team.”
Prior to his tenure on the Houston appeals court, Boyce was a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski, where he practiced for nearly two decades. He argued more than 60 cases in state and federal appellate courts, including Grupo Dataflux v. Atlas Global Group L.P. in 2004 before the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in a favorable opinion authored by Justice Antonin Scalia for Boyce’s client Grupo Dataflux.
Boyce, a recipient of the American Judges Association Judge Bob Jones Memorial Award for his contributions to judicial education, is a member of the Texas Judicial Council and the Supreme Court Advisory Committee. He also serves as vice chair of the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health.
A 2017 appointee to the Dallas appeals court by Gov. Greg Abbott, Boatright lost his mid-term race to Bill Pederson when the unanimously Republican Fifth Court of Appeals flipped to being controlled by Democrats.
Boatright – who has worked in government, private practice and in-house – will handle litigation and appellate matters in Cantey Hanger’s Dallas and Fort Worth offices.
“Justice Boatright will bring a unique set of skills and experiences to our litigation and appellate practice areas, of which we are already very proud, and his time with the Railroad Commission and Attorney General will be invaluable to clients who have matters before such agencies,” Michael Appleman, managing partner at Cantey Hanger, said in a statement.
Before his time on the bench, Boatright served as director of the general counsel section of the Texas Railroad Commission and as special counsel and chairman of the opinions division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office. He also worked in the corporate legal department at Regency Energy Partners when the Dallas company merged with Energy Transfer Partners in 2015.
The 2003 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law started his career as a briefing attorney for Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court. He currently co-chairs the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section Bench-Bar Liaison Committee and is vice chair of the Dallas Bar Association Minority Participation Committee.