Eugene Cook

Eugene Cook is a former Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Legal education and experience

Cook received his Bachelor of Science (Accounting) degree from the University of Houston. In 1966, he received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law School, and in the fall of that year, joined the firm of Butler & Binion, focusing on civil litigation and matrimonial law. "In 1985, he formed his own firm, Cook Davis & McFall, where he served as managing partner. In 1988, former Governor William P. Clements, Jr. appointed Cook to the Supreme Court of Texas on August 19, 1988. He was sworn into office on September 1, and won statewide election on November 8 of that same year."

In the News: Articles

Home Fryin' with Fred Baron (March, 2001)

During a 1997 scandal involving trial lawyer Fred Baron, an internal memo from Baron's firm--Baron & Budd-- accidentally made it into the hands of opposing counsel. The document had been written to coach clients on how to lie about certain facets of asbestos liability cases. Regarding the 20-page memo, Justice Cook, no longer on the bench remarked, "With this document, you could almost go down the street, get a homeless person, spend a couple hours with him, and he would be prepared to testify." Low opinions of lawyers are fueled by these kinds of revelations, Cook testified in San Antonio. "The public thinks, 'The lawyers are doing it again. They're subverting the truth.'"