The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Main Content

Breaking News

Exclusive

Outline

Texas Lawyers Foresee AI Litigation Boom, Debate if the Legal System Is Ready - An avalanche of high-stakes litigation related to rogue artificial intelligence activity is just around the corner, but there is a significant split in the Texas legal community about whether the courts and existing tort law can handle such sophisticated and large-dollar disputes. Trial lawyers who both sue and defend large technology companies predict state courts from Texas to California are about to see their dockets swell with lawsuits that accuse AI developers of knowingly making and marketing dangerous and defective products when their AI agents — software that can take action autonomously — cause harm, whether by mistake or intentionally. October 6, 2026Mark Curriden

Top Stories

Top Stories

SCOTX Hears Arguments in $25M Dispute Between Exxon and Lexington Insurance - The Texas Supreme Court justices heard arguments from counsel Wednesday morning over whether an insurance policy covers personal-injury claims made by parties injured in a fatal 2013 ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Beaumont. October 7, 2026Alexa Shrake
Energy Transfer Buys Vaquero Midstream for $2.6B - Energy Transfer said Vaquero has enough acreage to support another two trains that could boost capacity to about 1.2 billion cubic feet a day. Sidley repped ET and Willkie guided Vaquero on the deal. October 6, 2026Jason Philyaw
Jury Trial to Begin in Multimillion Dollar Dispute in Dallas Business Court - Texas Business Court Judge Bill Whitehill will preside over his first jury trial starting Tuesdaymorning with jury selection in a $100 million breach-of-contract case between two oil and gascompanies. The case, in which Synergy Thermogen is accusing Blackbrush Oil & Gas of breach of contractby using its access to the company to delay progress and defraud investors, will take place inthe Merrill Hartman Courtroom of the George Allen Courts Building in Dallas since the business court has no courtroom space of its own. October 5, 2026Alexa Shrake
Exxon, Suncor Seek Protection from Climate Change Lawsuits - On Monday, the two energy companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put a stop to one specific case brought by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, with hopes that a favorable ruling will kill off similar lawsuits before they go to trial. October 4, 2026Mark Curriden
CDT Roundup: A Week Sans Shiny Objects - The week ending Oct. 3 saw 14 deals valued at a bit over $4 billion, featuring the usual menu of power and infrastructure deals. It was a week without a banner transaction — made extraordinary by its adequacy in head-scratching times. October 4, 2026Jason Philyaw
Lane Change: Bobby Tudor Shifts from Adviser to Investor - As chairman of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Tudor has been hard at work shepherding Houston’s energy sector through its transition to a lower-carbon future. If successful, he may just yet earn himself another moniker as a doula as he helps birth a new industry. October 4, 2026Mark Druskoff
First Court of Appeals Justice Guiney Dies at 51 - The First Court of Appeals announced Friday that Justice Kristin Guiney, 51, died. Justice Guiney joined the court last year and previously presided over the 232nd and the 179th District Courts in Harris County. People who knew Justice Guiney say she will be remembered for her fairness. October 3, 2026Alexa Shrake

Centerpiece

Asked & Answered with Texas Business Court Judge Andrea Bouressa: On Joining a New Court - In this edition of Asked & Answered, Texas Business Court Judge Andrea Bouressa discusses her favorite day on the bench and what has surprised her about serving. She also shares what she hopes will come next for the court as it continues to grow. October 7, 2026Alexa Shrake
Litigation Roundup: Uber Settles Sex Assault Bellwether on Eve of Austin Trial  - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a lawyer who filed an AI-generated brief "littered with errors” is sanctioned by the Dallas Court of Appeals, a Stephenville businessman agrees to forfeit more than 90 exotic cars after admitting to running a scam loan program and Vinson & Elkins and Hunton Andrews Kurth gear up to defend data center clients against an environmental suit in San Antonio.  October 5, 2026Michelle Casady

Expert Voices

Abbott Orders Statewide Pause on Texas Data Center Permits - Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the TCEQ to stop issuing permits for data center projects statewide — including those not connected to the ERCOT grid — until ERCOT finishes a broader audit expected to wrap up in mid-December. The order may reach beyond data center developers themselves to affiliated power-generation projects, and attorneys say its scope leaves open questions about how it applies to lower-tier permitting processes. October 7, 2026Daniel J. Pope, Jared Berg & Matt Paulson
What Buyers Are Really Underwriting in Texas Healthcare Deals: Regulatory History - Buy-side diligence in healthcare deals can no longer stop at current earnings. Past coding irregularities, noncompliant leases and unaddressed HIPAA risk analyses travel with a target through closing, affecting purchase price, indemnities and exit valuations. October 2, 2026Megan Neel

More Stories

Another Bankruptcy Case Draws Threat of Sanctions Against Jackson Walker 
Trump to Nominate Phelps Dunbar Partner to Succeed Fifth Circuit Judge Southwick
Dallas Attorneys Win Dismissal of Cryptocurrency Memecoin RICO Suit
More Stories


Appellate

Bankruptcy

Commercial Litigation

Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A

GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.

White-Collar/Regulatory

Firm Management

Stories You Might’ve Missed

  • Energy Boom to Space Race: The Stellar Career of Hillary Holmes - In a wide-ranging interview, Gibson Dunn capital-markets leader Hillary Holmes takes Texas Lawbook subscribers inside a career that placed her at the center of SpaceX’s historic public offering this year. But that is only the latest chapter in a much deeper Texas story that charts her rise from the Houston “deal room” of her childhood to one of the country’s top corporate lawyers, known for her instinct to see beyond the transactions themselves. September 24, 2026Allen Pusey

© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.