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Texas Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2018)
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| Johnson Vacancy Texas Supreme Court |
| Vacancy date |
| Vacancy status |
| Nomination date |
| February 21, 2019 |
| Confirmation date |
| March 20, 2019 |
| Table of contents |
|
The appointee Selection process About Justice Johnson |
| See also |
| Recent news External links Footnotes |
Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson retired on December 31, 2018.
Under Texas law, the governor appoints and the state Senate must approve a replacement when a supreme court justice retires in the middle of his term. Brett Busby, Johnson's replacement, was Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) second nominee to the nine-member supreme court. The Texas State Senate confirmed Busby on March 20, 2019.[1]
The appointee
- See also: Brett Busby
On February 21, 2019, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) nominated Brett Busby to replace Johnson on the court. Busby was a Republican judge of the Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals from June 2012 to December 2018. He ran for re-election in 2018 but was defeated in the general election on November 6.[2]
Busby previously was a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, an adjunct professor at The University of Texas School of Law, and a law clerk at the Supreme Court of the United States.[2]
Busby graduated with high honors from Duke University and received his J.D. from Columbia Law School.[3]
Makeup of the court
At the time of the vacancy, the makeup of the court was:
- Jimmy Blacklock
- Jeffrey S. Boyd
- Jeff Brown
- John Devine
- Paul W. Green
- Eva Guzman
- Nathan Hecht
- Debra Lehrmann
The selection process
If a supreme court justice retires in the middle of his or her term, the governor appoints a replacement who must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election, in which he or she may compete to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.[4]
Otherwise, the nine justices of the Texas Supreme Court are selected in statewide partisan elections. The elected justices serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[4]
About Justice Johnson
Phil Johnson served as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 2005 to 2018. Governor Rick Perry (R) appointed Johnson on March 15, 2005.
Prior to serving on the state supreme court, Johnson was a judge of the Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals from 1998 to 2005. He served as chief judge of this court from 2002 to 2005. Johnson was an attorney in private practice from 1975 to 1988. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1972.[5]
Johnson received his J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1975.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Senate confirms Brett Busby for Supreme Court post," March 20, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Office of the Texas Governor, "Governor Abbott Appoints Busby To The Supreme Court Of Texas," February 21, 2019
- ↑ Campaign website for Brett Busby, "Biography," accessed February 22, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Texas Judicial Branch, "Justice Phil Johnson, Place 8," accessed November 9, 2018
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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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