Texas Supreme Court
From Judgepedia
| Texas Supreme Court | |||
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| Court information | |||
| Justices: | 9 | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Partisan election of judges | ||
| Term: | 6 years | ||
| Active justices | |||
|
Wallace Jefferson • Don Willett • David Medina • Paul Green • Nathan Hecht • Dale Wainwright • Phil Johnson • Eva Guzman • Debra Lehrmann • | |||
| Former justices | |||
The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of Texas for civil matters. As the court of last resort, the Supreme Court hears appeals of decisions in civil cases from lower courts. Its decisions are not subject to review by any other court.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in Texas. Texas is one of just two states (the other being Oklahoma) that has two courts of last resort.
The Supreme Court was established in 1836 by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. The Court consists of nine justices who meet in Austin, Texas in a building located on the state Capitol grounds.[1]
Justices
The Texas Supreme Court has 9 justices.| Judge | Term | Appointed by | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson | March 2001 - present | Rick Perry | Republican |
| Justice Don Willett | 2005 - 2012 | Rick Perry | Republican |
| Justice David Medina | 2004 - 2012 | Rick Perry | Republican |
| Justice Paul Green | 2005 - present | Republican | |
| Justice Nathan Hecht | 1989 - 2012 | Republican | |
| Justice Dale Wainwright | 2003 - present | Republican | |
| Justice Phil Johnson | 2005 - present | Rick Perry | Republican |
| Justice Eva Guzman | 2009 - present | Rick Perry | Republican |
| Justice Debra Lehrmann | 2010 - present | RIck Perry | Republican |
Chief justice
Wallace Jefferson is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He ran for re-election to the court in 2008 against Democratic challenger Jim Jordan, and won with 53% of the vote. (See Texas Supreme Court elections for more information). Justice Jefferson is aligned with the Republican party.
2012 election
The following is a list of candidates for the 2012 Supreme Court election:| Candidate | Incumbency | Party | Place | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | No | Republican | Place 2 | ||
| Nathan Hecht | Yes | Republican | Place 6 | ||
| Mark Ash | No | Libertarian | Place 6 | ||
| Michele Petty | No | Democratic | Place 6 | ||
| Robert Stuart Koelsch | No | Libertarian | Place 2 | ||
| Tom Oxford | No | Libertarian | Place 4 | ||
| Charles E. Waterbury | No | Green | Place 4 | ||
| Jim Chisholm | No | Green | Place 6 | ||
| David Medina | Yes | Republican | Place 4 | ||
| Joe Pool, Jr. | No | Republican | Place 4 | ||
| John Devine | No | Republican | Place 4 | ||
| Don Willett | Yes | Republican | Place 2 |
Jurisdiction
The caseload of the Texas Supreme Court is determined by whether the court decides to grant a review of a judgment. The court has mandatory jurisdiction over writs of mandamus and habeas corpus.
"Much of the Supreme Court’s time is spent determining which petitions for review will be granted, as it must consider all petitions for review that are filed. However, the Court exercises some control over its caseload in deciding which petitions will be granted. The Court usually takes only those cases that present the most significant Texas legal issues in need of clarification.
The Supreme Court also has jurisdiction to answer questions of state law certified from a federal appellate court; has original jurisdiction to issue writs and to conduct proceedings for the involuntary retirement or removal of judges; and reviews cases involving attorney discipline upon appeal from the Board of Disciplinary Appeals of the State Bar of Texas."[1]
Judicial selection
The nine justices are elected to staggered six-year terms in state-wide partisan elections. The nine seats are referred to by place numbers 1 through 9. The place numbers have no special meaning as all justices are elected state-wide, except that the Chief Justice position is considered "Place 1."
If a vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a replacement, who then must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The justice serves for the remainder of the unexpired term. Five of the current nine justices were originally appointed by Governor Rick Perry.
The chief justice runs as such in the general election and is selected by the state's voters.
Qualifications
In order to serve on the court, the following requirements must be met:
- be a citizen of the United States;
- hold state residency;
- be licensed to practice law in Texas;
- be older than 35 and younger than 74; and
- have practiced law or been a judge for 10 years. [2]
Caseloads
| Fiscal year | Regular causes added | Motions added | Regular causes disposed | Motions disposed | Regular causes pending at end of fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 106 | 1,984 | 137 | 1,965 | 52 |
| 2010 | 128 | 1,894 | 110 | 1,892 | 83 |
| 2009 | 106 | 2,070 | 125 | 2,051 | 62 |
| 2008 | 138 | 1,876 | 164 | 1,905 | 80 |
| 2007 | 158 | 1,807 | 144 | 1,824 | 106 |
"The Supreme Court’s caseload can be broken down into three broad categories: determining whether to grant review of the final judgment of a court of appeals (i.e., to grant or not grant a petition for review); disposition of regular causes (i.e., granted petitions for review, accepted petitions for writs of mandamus or habeas corpus, certified questions, accepted parental notification appeals, and direct appeals); and disposition of numerous motions related to petitions and regular causes."[1]
Regular causes
" "Regular causes" involve cases in which four or more of the justices have decided in conference that a petition for review, petition for
writ of mandamus or habeas corpus, or parental notifi cation appeal should be reviewed. Regular causes also include direct appeals the
court has agreed to review and questions of law certifi ed to it by a federal appellate court that the court has agreed to answer. Most regular
causes are set for oral argument in open court and are reported in written opinions. However, a petition may be granted and an unsigned
opinion (per curiam) issued without oral argument if at least six members of the court vote accordingly."
The chart below displays the number of regular causes added, disposed, and pending on the Supreme Court's docket from 1991 to 2010.
Salaries
As of 2010, the Associate Justices earn $150,000 annually, while the Chief Justice earns $152,500. [4]
Notable decisions
History of the court
The Republic of Texas' Constitution created a Supreme Court. The court consisted of a Chief Justice and Associate Justices, who were from the eight district courts of the state. These judges served with the Chief Justice from January 13, 1840 to December 29, 1845. At the end of 1845, Texas was admitted into the Union.[5]
See also
- News: Texas Supreme Court wins award, April 30, 2012
- Texas Supreme Court elections
- Courts in Texas
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
- Texas Court of Appeals
- Texas District Courts
- Texas Supreme Court elections
- Judicial selection in Texas
- Texas judicial news
- Judicial Activist Organizations in Texas
- Texas blogs
External links
- The Supreme Court of Texas: A Balanced Court -- A Special Issue Report (October 2008)
- Interstate Comity: Cheers for Texas
- Texas Supreme Court Official Site
- Website of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
- 2008 Judicial Elections Page
- Administration of judiciary in Texas
- Supreme Court of Texas blog
- Texas Supreme Court Webcasts - St. Mary University School of Law
- The Texas Reports, the decisions of the Texas Supreme Court from 1846 to 1885, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Texas Judiciary page from The Handbook of Texas Online
- Texas Supreme Court Historical Society
- Texas SC Opinions
- Texas high court: Removal of sect kids 'not warranted', CNN.com
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Office of Court Administration, "FY 2010 Annual Report for the Texas Judiciary", December 2010
- ↑ American Judicature Society, Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas
- ↑ ‘’Texas Courts Online’’, “Annual Reports”
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, Salary Comparison, Texas
- ↑ Supreme Court of Texas: Republic History
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court
- ↑ "Other thoughts on Justice Brister’s departure" Supreme Court of Texas Blog, August 17, 2009
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1945-present
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1876-1945
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, Court History 1876-1945

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