Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox high court | court_name = Supreme Court of Texas | image = TX Supreme Court Seal.gif | imagesize = 125px | caption = Seal of the Texas Supreme Court | established = 1840<ref>http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/advisories/anniversary_011310.htm</ref> | country = [[Texas]] {{flagicon|Texas}}, United States {{flagicon|USA}} | location = [[Austin, Texas]] | coordinates = | type = | authority = [[Texas Constitution]] | appeals = [[Supreme Court of the United States]] | terms = | positions = | website = http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/ | chiefjudgetitle = Chief Justice | chiefjudgename = Wallace B. Jefferson | termstart = September 14, 2004 | termend = | termend2 = }} [[File:TexasSupremeCourtBuilding.JPG|thumb|Texas Supreme Court Building]] The '''Supreme Court of Texas''' is the [[supreme court|court of last resort]] for non-criminal matters (including [[juvenile delinquency]] which the law considers to be a [[Civil procedure|civil matter]] and not [[Criminal procedure|criminal]]) in the state of [[Texas]]. A different court, the [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]], is the court of last resort for criminal matters. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Court meets in [[Downtown Austin|Downtown]] [[Austin, Texas]] in a building located on the state Capitol grounds, behind the [[Texas State Capitol]]. ==Regulation of the legal profession in Texas== By statute, the Texas Supreme Court has administrative control over the [[State Bar of Texas]], an agency of the judiciary.<ref>Tex. Gov’t Code section 81.011.</ref> The Texas Supreme Court has the sole authority to license attorneys in Texas,<ref>Tex. Gov't Code sections 81.061 and 82.021</ref> and also appoints the members of the Board of Law Examiners<ref>Tex. Gov't Code section 82.001</ref> which, under instructions of the Supreme Court, administers the Texas bar examination.<ref>Tex. Gov't Code section 82.004.</ref> ==Justices of the Court== The Court has a [[Chief Justice]] and eight associate justices. Each member of the Court must be at least 35 years of age, a [[citizenship|citizen]] of Texas, licensed to practice [[law]] in Texas, and must have practiced law (or have been a [[lawyers|lawyer]] and a judge of a court of record together) for at least ten years.<ref>[[Texas Constitution|Tex. Const.]], Art. 5, Sec. 2.</ref> The [[court clerk|Clerk of the Court]] is appointed by the Justices and serves a four year term. ===Election of members of the Court=== The Chief Justice and the associate justices are elected to staggered six-year terms in state-wide partisan [[elections in Texas|elections]]. When a vacancy arises the [[Governor of Texas]] may appoint Justices, subject to Senate confirmation, to serve out the remainder of an unexpired term until the next general election. {{As of|2010}}, six of the current Justices, a majority, were originally appointed by [[Governor]] [[Rick Perry]]. The current Justices, like all the Judges of the [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]], are all [[United States Republican Party|Republican]]. The place numbers have no special meaning as all justices are elected state-wide, except that the Chief Justice position is considered "Place 1". ===Women on the Court=== [[Hortense Sparks Ward]], who became the first woman to pass the Texas [[bar examination|Bar Exam]] in 1910, was appointed Special Chief Justice of an all-female Texas Supreme Court 15 years later. All of the court's male justices recused themselves from a case involving the [[Woodmen of the World]] fraternal organization, and, since nearly every member of the Texas Bar was a member of that organization and received insurance benefits from it, no male judges or attorneys could be found to hear the case.<ref>http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jpa01</ref> After ten months of searching for suitable male replacements, Governor [[Pat Neff]] decided to appoint a special court composed of three women to decide the case. This court, consisting of Ward, [[Hattie Leah Henenberg]], and [[Ruth Virginia Brazzil]], met for five months and ultimately ruled in favor of [[Woodmen of the World]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/justices/spct/ward.html|title=Hortense Sparks Ward (1875-1944)|work=Justices of Texas 1836-1986|publisher = Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin|date=October 16, 2009|accessdate=December 19, 2010}}</ref> On July 25, 1982, [[Ruby Kless Sondock]] became the court's first regular female justice, when she was appointed to replace the Associate Justice James G. Denton who had died of a heart attack. Sondock served the remainder of Denton's term, which ended on December 31, 1982, but did not seek election to the Supreme Court in her own right.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/justices/spct/sondock.html|title=Ruby Kless Sondock (born 1926)|work= Justices of Texas 1836-1986|publisher = Tarlton Law Library, [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|date=October 16, 2009|accessdate = December 19, 2010}}</ref> [[Rose Spector]] became the first woman elected to the court in 1992 and served until 1998 when she was defeated by [[Harriet O'Neill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotxblog.com/elections/women-on-the-texas-supreme-court/#footnote_0_62|title=An Unusual History of Women Serving on the Texas Supreme Court|date = January 8, 2008|last=Cruse|first=Don|work=The Supreme Court of Texas Blog|accessdate = December 19, 2010}}</ref> ===Current Justices===jfudctrutfuctrycecdccccccccccccccccccccccgnfhcjyfjyydctxzssdbfnghjkljhgfdsaASDVFGNHM,.,MNBVCXZzXCVBGHJKLKJHGVFCXZXCVBGNHMJ,KLKJHGFDSDFGHJKJHGFVCDXCFVGBHNBGVFCDXCFVGBHGFGDFTHYJUKHYTHFULIJYGYKCU5YCFRRDTGDTDXI7TYY5 {| class="wikitable" |- ! Justice !! Party Affiliation !! Place!! Date Service Began !! Term Ends |- | <center>[[Wallace B. Jefferson]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>Chief Justice || <center>April 18, 2001 || <center>2014 |- | <center>[[Don R. Willett]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>2 || <center>August 24, 2005 || <center>2012 |- | <center>[[Debra Lehrmann]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>3 || <center>June 21, 2010|| <center>2016 |- | <center>[[David M. Medina]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>4 || <center>November 10, 2004 || <center>2012 |- | <center>[[Paul W. Green]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>5 || <center>January 1, 2005 || <center>2016 |- | <center>[[Nathan Hecht]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>6 || <center>January 1, 1989 || <center>2012 |- | <center>[[Jeffrey S. Boyd]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>7 || <center>December 3, 2012 || <center>2014 |- | <center>[[Phil Johnson (judge)|Phil Johnson]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>8 || <center>April 11, 2005 || <center>2014 |- | <center>[[Eva Guzman]] || {{party shading/Republican}}|<center>Republican || <center>9 || <center>October 8, 2009 || <center>2016 |} ===History of membership of the Court=== {{main|History of membership of the Texas Supreme Court}} ===Succession of seats=== {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Chief Justice (Place 1)}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established by the [[Texas Constitution of 1876]] }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = G. Moore | party = Democratic | term = 1878-1881 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gould | party = Democratic | term = 1881-1882 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Willie | party = Democratic | term = 1882-1888 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Stayton | party = Democratic | term = 1888-1894 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gaines | party = Democratic | term = 1894-1911 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Brown | party = Democratic | term = 1911-1915 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = N. Phillips | party = Democratic | term = 1915-1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Cureton | party = Democratic | term = 1921-1940 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = W.F. Moore | party = Democratic | term = 1940-1941 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Alexander | party = Democratic | term = 1941-1948 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hickman | party = Democratic | term = 1948-1961 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Calvert | party = Democratic | term = 1961-1972 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Greenhill | party = Democratic | term = 1972-1982 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Pope | party = Democratic | term = 1982-1985 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hill | party = Democratic | term = 1985-1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = T. Phillips | party = Republican | term = 1988-2004 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Wallace B. Jefferson|Jefferson]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2004-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 2}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established by the [[Texas Constitution of 1876]] }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gould | party = Democratic | term = 1876-1881 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Stayton | party = Democratic | term = 1881-1888 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Walker | party = Democratic | term = 1888-1889 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Henry | party = Democratic | term = 1889-1893 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Brown | party = Democratic | term = 1893-1911 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Ramsey | party = Democratic | term = 1911-1912 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = N. Phillips | party = Democratic | term = 1912-1915 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Yantis | party = Democratic | term = 1915-1918 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Greenwood | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1934 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Sharp | party = Democratic | term = 1934-1952 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Culver | party = Democratic | term = 1953-1965 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Pope | party = Democratic | term = 1964-1982 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = T. Robertson | party = Democratic | term = 1982-1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Lloyd Doggett|Doggett]] | party = Democratic | term = 1989-1994 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Priscilla Owen|Owen]] | party = Republican | term = 1995-2005 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Don Willett|Willett]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2005-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 3}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established by the [[Texas Constitution of 1876]] }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = G. Moore | party = Democratic | term = 1876-1878 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Bonner | party = Democratic | term = 1878-1882 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = West | party = Democratic | term = 1882-1885 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = S. Robertson | party = Democratic | term = 1885-1886 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gaines | party = Democratic | term = 1886-1894 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Denman | party = Democratic | term = 1894-1899 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Williams | party = Democratic | term = 1899-1911 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Bibrell | party = Democratic | term = 1911-1913 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hawkins | party = Democratic | term = 1913-1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Pierson | party = Democratic | term = 1921-1935 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Critz | party = Democratic | term = 1935-1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Simpson | party = Democratic | term = 1945-1949 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Harvey | party = Democratic | term = 1949-1950 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Calvert | party = Democratic | term = 1950-1961 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Steakley | party = Democratic | term = 1961-1980 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Wallace | party = Democratic | term = 1981-1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Cook | party = Republican | term = 1988-1992 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Spector | party = Democratic | term = 1993-1998 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Harriet O'Neill|O'Neill]] | party = Republican | term = 1999-2010 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Debra Lehrmann|Lehrmann]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2010-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-end}} {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 4}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section B }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Sadler | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1920 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Powell | party = Democratic | term = 1920-1927 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Leddy | party = Democratic | term = 1927-1933 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Smedley | party = Democratic | term = 1933-1954 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Walker | party = Democratic | term = 1954-1975 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Doughty | party = Democratic | term = 1975-1976 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Yarbrough | party = Democratic | term = 1976-1977 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Barrow | party = Democratic | term = 1977-1984 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = R. Gonzales | party = Democratic | term = 1984-1998 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Alberto Gonzalez|A. Gonzales]] | party = Republican | term = 1999-2000 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Jefferson | party = Republican | term = 2001-2004 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[David M. Medina|Medina]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2004-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 5}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section B }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Montgomery | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1919 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Kittrell | party = Democratic | term = 1919-1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hamilton | party = Democratic | term = 1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Short | party = Democratic | term = 1925-1934 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Taylor | party = Democratic | term = 1935-1950 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Wilson | party = Democratic | term = 1950-1956 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Abner Vernon McCall|McCall]] | party = Democratic | term = 1956 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Norvell | party = Democratic | term = 1957-1968 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Thomas Morrow Reavley|Reavley]] | party = Democratic | term = 1968-1977 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Chadick | party = Democratic | term = 1977-1978 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Campbell | party = Democratic | term = 1978-1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Culver | party = Republican | term = 1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hightower | party = Democratic | term = 1988-1996 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Abbott | party = Republican | term = 1996-2001 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Rodriguez | party = Republican | term = 2001-2002 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Smith | party = Republican | term = 2002-2004 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Paul W. Green|Green]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2005-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 6}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section A }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Taylor | party = Democratic | term = 1919-1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Randolph | party = Democratic | term = 1921-1923 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Bishop | party = Democratic | term = 1923-1927 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Critz | party = Democratic | term = 1927-1935 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hickman | party = Democratic | term = 1935-1948 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Garwood | party = Democratic | term = 1948-1958 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hamilton | party = Democratic | term = 1959-1970 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Denton | party = Democratic | term = 1971-1982 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[Ruby Kless Sondock|Sondock]] | party = Democratic | term = 1982 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Kilgarlin | party = Democratic | term = 1983-1988 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Nathan Hecht|Hecht]]''' | party = Republican | term = 1989–present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-end}} {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 7}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section B }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = McClendon | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1923 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Stayton | party = Democratic | term = 1923-1925 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Speer | party = Democratic | term = 1925-1929 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Ryan | party = Democratic | term = 1929-1937 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Martin | party = Democratic | term = 1937-1939 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Slatton | party = Democratic | term = 1939-1947 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hart | party = Democratic | term = 1947-1950 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Smith | party = Democratic | term = 1950-1970 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Daniel | party = Democratic | term = 1971-1978 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Spears | party = Democratic | term = 1979-1990 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = [[John Cornyn|Cornyn]] | party = Republican | term = 1991-1997 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Hankinson | party = Republican | term = 1997-2002 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Dale Wainwright|Wainwright]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2002-2012 }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 8}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section A }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Sonfield | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1921 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gallagher | party = Democratic | term = 1921-1923 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Blanks | party = Democratic | term = 1923-1924 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Chapman | party = Democratic | term = 1924-1925 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Nickels | party = Democratic | term = 1925-1929 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Sharp | party = Democratic | term = 1929-1934 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = German | party = Democratic | term = 1935-1941 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Brewster | party = Democratic | term = 1941-1957 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Greenhill | party = Democratic | term = 1957-1972 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = H. Phillips | party = Democratic | term = 1972 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = S. Johnson | party = Democratic | term = 1973-1979 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Garwood | party = Republican | term = 1978-1980 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Ray | party = Democratic | term = 1980-1990 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Gammage | party = Democratic | term = 1990-1995 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Baker | party = Republican | term = 1995-2002 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Schneider | party = Republican | term = 2002-2004 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Phil Johnson (judge)|P. Johnson]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2004-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-break}} {{start U.S. judge succession| seat title=Place 9}} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Established in 1918 as Commissioner, Section A }} {{U.S. judge succession note | text = Made a Supreme Court judgeship in 1945 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Strong | party = Democratic | term = 1918-1920 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Spencer | party = Democratic | term = 1920-1923 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = German | party = Democratic | term = 1923-1925 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Harvey | party = Democratic | term = 1925-1943 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Folley | party = Democratic | term = 1943-1949 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Griffin | party = Democratic | term = 1949-1968 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = McGee | party = Democratic | term = 1969-1986 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Mauzy | party = Democratic | term = 1987-1992 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Enoch | party = Republican | term = 1993-2003 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = Brister | party = Republican | term = 2003-2009 }} {{U.S. judge succession row | name = '''[[Eva Guzman|Guzman]]''' | party = Republican | term = 2009-present }} {{end U.S. judge succession}} {{col-end}} ==Notes== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Portalbox|Texas|Law}} * [http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/ Official Website for the Texas Supreme Court] * [http://texashistory.unt.edu/browse/collection/TXRPT/ The Texas Reports, the decisions of the Texas Supreme Court from 1846 to 1885], hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History] * [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/jzj1.html Texas Judiciary page from The Handbook of Texas Online] * [http://www.texascourthistory.org/ Texas Supreme Court Historical Society] {{coord|30.275853|-97.741054|region:US_type:landmark|display=title}} {{State agencies of Texas}} {{USJudiciaries}} [[Category:State supreme courts|Texas]] [[Category:Texas state courts]] [[fa:دیوان عالی تگزاس]] [[it:Corte Suprema del Texas]]'