The Texas judiciary has plans to develop a Judicial Civics and Education Center and, because of a $50,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, the project is now in the design phase. Anticipated to be located in the entry-level corridor of the Tom C. Clark Building within the Capitol Complex, the education center is expected … Continue Reading
The Municipal Judges Section of the State Bar of Texas is accepting nominations for its Judge Michael L. O’Neal Outstanding Jurist Award. Now in its 15th year, this accolade is named in honor of the former chair of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct who helped write the ethics rules for the judiciary. Judge O’Neal … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, March 22, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Elsa Alcala of Houston to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for a term to expire at the next general election.… Continue Reading
You have the privilege to help establish the ethical standards that govern our profession. I encourage you to exercise that privilege by analyzing the proposed amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct; making educated, independent decisions regarding the amendments; and voting on them in the referendum.… Continue Reading
The Supreme Court of Texas will hear two oral arguments in Amarillo on Nov. 10, 2010, as part of the Amarillo Area Bar Association's 100th anniversary.… Continue Reading
Today’s issue of The Recorder, an ALM publication in California, includes an article about the Eastern District of Texas ("Big Tech Shouts ‘Yipee!,’ Patent Bar Chattering as Rader Heads to Texas"). To help prepare for his imminent elevation to chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Judge Randall Rader will … Continue Reading
The Texas Court Records Preservation Task Force had its first meeting yesterday at the Supreme Court of Texas. The 20 member task force was formed to discuss the issues surrounding preservation of local court records in counties across the state. The task force is chaired by Bill Kroger of Baker Botts L.L.P. and was created partly … Continue Reading
On January 13th, the Supreme Court of Texas celebrated its 170th anniversary. A special open session of the Court, where the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society observed its 20th anniversary, was followed by a reception at the Texas Law Center. Roland K. Johnson, president of the State Bar of Texas, and Larry McNeill, president of … Continue Reading
Justice Eva Guzman, the first Latina to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, celebrated her formal investiture on Monday, January 11. The ceremony took place in the Texas House of Representatives Chamber, in front of an audience filled with Guzman’s colleagues, friends, and family. Governor Rick Perry administered the oath of office, praising Guzman’s “consistent … Continue Reading
All Texas lawyers are invited to join the Supreme Court of Texas for its 170th anniversary on Wednesday, January 13. The celebration will begin with an open session of the Court in the Supreme Court of Texas Courtroom at 4:00 p.m. Special remarks will be made by Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, State Bar of … Continue Reading
Happy Birthday to the Texas Lawyer’s Creed! The Creed contains principles for civility and courtesy between lawyers and honesty in statements to judges and lawyers and was promulgated in 1989 by both the Supreme Court of Texas and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. On Thursday, Nov. 5, two former justices of the Texas Supreme Court … Continue Reading
On July 16, Dallas lawyer Kim J. Askew, chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, testified regarding the ABA’s rating of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as "well qualified" to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Askew is a partner in K&L Gates and a former chair of the State Bar of Texas … Continue Reading
Texas appellate lawyer Dylan Drummond, an associate with Kane Russell Coleman & Logan, PC in Houston, tells us that the Clerkship Notification Blog (CNB) is now active for the 2009-2010 hiring season. Drummond is editor-in-chief of the blog, which was founded in 2005 by Yale alumna and currrent Kirkland Ellis attorney Katherine McDaniel as a … Continue Reading
In 2008, U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore (pictured) asked a classroom of 50 girls in Houston whether any of them had a parent in prison. Every one raised her hand. “70 percent of children who have incarcerated parents are later incarcerated themselves, says Gilmore. “They see that as their path.” As a judge, she … Continue Reading
