Texas Supreme Court justice vacancy (August 2020)
| Texas Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Green vacancy |
| Date: August 31, 2020 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Rebeca Huddle |
| Date: October 15, 2020 |
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Rebeca Huddle to the Texas Supreme Court on October 15, 2020. Huddle succeeded Justice Paul Green, who retired on August 31, 2020, to spend more time with his family.[1][2] Huddle was Abbott's fourth nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
At the time of the appointment, the governor would appoint a replacement in the event of a midterm vacancy. The nominee had to be confirmed by the Texas State Senate. Appointees would serve until the next general election, in which they had to participate in a partisan election to remain on the bench for the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Texas Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- An overview of the Texas Supreme Court.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2020.
The appointee
- See also: Rebeca Huddle
Huddle was a judge on the Texas First District Court of Appeals from 2011 to 2017. She was appointed to this position by Governor Rick Perry (R) on July 1, 2011. She was elected on November 6, 2012, and retired in 2017. Before being appointed to the First District Court of Appeals, Huddle was a partner at the law firm Baker Botts, where she focused on civil litigation.[2]
Huddle was born in El Paso, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University in 1995 and her J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in 1999.[4]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Texas
At the time of the appointment, the governor would appoint a replacement in the event of a midterm vacancy on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The nominee had to be confirmed by the Texas State Senate. The appointee would serve until the next general election, in which they would have to compete in a partisan election to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]
Otherwise, the nine Court of Criminal Appeals judges were selected in statewide partisan elections. The elected judges would serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[3]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Texas Supreme Court
Following Green's retirement, the Texas Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Nathan Hecht | Elected in 1988 | |
| ■ Eva Guzman | Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry (R) in 2009 | |
| ■ Debra Lehrmann | Appointed by Gov. Perry in 2010 | |
| ■ Jeffrey S. Boyd | Appointed by Gov. Perry in 2012 | |
| ■ John Devine | Elected in 2012 | |
| ■ Jimmy Blacklock | Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ Jane Bland | Appointed by Gov. Abbott in 2019 | |
| ■ Brett Busby | Appointed by Gov. Abbott in 2019 |
About Justice Green
- See also: Paul Green
Justice Green joined the Texas Supreme Court in 2005 after winning election to the position on November 2, 2004. Before becoming a state supreme court justice, Green served for 10 years as a justice on the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, taking the bench after being elected in 1994.
Green received his B.A. in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. In 1977, he earned his J.D. from Saint Mary's University School of Law. After law school, he went into private practice.
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Green received a campaign finance score of 0.82, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was less conservative than the average score of 0.91 that justices received in Texas.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[5]
About the court
- See also: Courts in Texas
Texas is one of two states (along with Oklahoma) with two courts of last resort. Founded in 1836, the Texas Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort for civil matters. Founded in 1876, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state's court of last resort for criminal matters. Both courts have nine judgeships each.
Texas Supreme Court
- See also: Texas Supreme Court
Founded in 1836, the Texas Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort for civil matters and has nine judgeships. The current chief of the court is Jimmy Blacklock.
As of January 2025, all nine judges on the court identified with the Republican Party.
The Texas Supreme Court meets in Austin, Texas.[6]
In Texas, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
Other state supreme court appointments in 2020
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2020
The following table lists vacancies to state supreme courts that opened in 2020. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green says he will retire at the end of August after 15 years on the bench," July 21, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Appoints Rebeca Huddle To The Texas Supreme Court," October 15, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Baker Botts, "Rebeca A. Huddle," archived August 9, 2020
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ Texas Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court," accessed August 31, 2021
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Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
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