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Wallace Jefferson
Wallace B. Jefferson was a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He was appointed to the court by Governor Rick Perry in March of 2001, and he was elected on November 5, 2002. Jefferson became the court's chief justice in 2004 and served in that position until September 2013. He retired on October 1, 2013.[1][2][3][4]
Wallace was the first African-American chief justice in the history of Texas.[5]
Education
Jefferson received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.[1]
Career
After graduating from law school, Jefferson went into private practice. He became partner in 1991. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 2001.[6]
Awards and associations
- 2012 Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award[7]
- 1997 Outstanding Young Lawyer, San Antonio Lawyers Association
- "Pillars of the Foundation" award, North Side Independent School District
- 2010 President, Conference of Chief Justices
- Chair, National Center for State Courts
- 1998-99 President, San Antonio Bar Association
- Former director, San Antonio Public Library Foundation
- Former director, Alamo Area Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- Former member, Education committee, San Antonio Area Foundation[1]
Elections
2008
Jefferson ran for re-election to the court on November 4, 2008 against Democratic challenger Jim Jordan, winning 53% of the vote. (See Texas Supreme Court elections for more information).[8]
For information on Justice Jefferson's campaign fundraising, visit: Follow the Money: Wallace Jefferson.
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wallace Jefferson  |
Yes | Chief Justice | Republican | 53.1% | |
| Jim Jordan | No | Chief Justice | Democratic | 43.7% | |
| Tom Oxford | No | Chief Justice | Libertarian | 3.1% |
2002
Jefferson was elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 2002. He defeated William E. Moody, winning 56.76% of the vote.[9]
In his 2002 campaign, Jefferson raised roughly $1.14 million.[10]
Noteworthy cases
On Exorcisms
In a 6-3 vote, the Texas Supreme Court threw out a jury award over injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious matters. The Supreme Court threw out the $188,000 that the Court of Appeals awarded. Justice David Medina wrote that finding the church liable "would have an unconstitutional 'chilling effect' by compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious beliefs." But Jefferson, in a dissenting opinion, stated that the "sweeping immunity" is inconsistent with U.S. Supreme Court precedent and extends far beyond the Constitution's protections for religious conduct. "The First Amendment guards religious liberty; it does not sanction intentional abuse in religion's name," Jefferson wrote.[11]
Opinion article
- Chief Justice Jefferson wrote an opinion article for the Dallas News after the Supreme Court overturned a conviction after an individual served 27 years in prison. To read it, visit: Dallas News, "Wallace Jefferson: It's time that the state investigates cases that resulted in DNA-evidence exoneration," January 29, 2008 (dead link)
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.
Jefferson received a campaign finance score of 0.91, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was equal to 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.[12]
See also
- Texas Supreme Court
- News: Texas chief justice announces retirement, September 4, 2013
External links
- The Supreme Court of Texas, Chief Justice Wallace B. Johnson
- Official campaign website (dead link)
- Project Vote Smart, Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson (TX)
- The University of Texas at Austin, "Alumnus Wallace B. Jefferson, '88, Appointed First African American Chief Justice of Texas Supreme Court," September 14, 2004
- Chief Justice Jefferson's 2011 State of Judiciary address
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Supreme Court of Texas, Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, 2002 General Election
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court Advisory, "Chief Justice Jefferson Announces His Resignation," September 3, 2013
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Hecht chosen as new chief of Texas Supreme Court," September 10, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Texas Politics, "Characteristics of the Judiciary"
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson (TX)
- ↑ Colby College, "Texas Supreme Court Justice to Receive Brody Award," March 20, 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, 2008 General Election Results
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, 2002 General Election Results]
- ↑ Follow the Money: Wallace Jefferson 2002
- ↑ USA Today, "Texas high court rules exorcism protected by law," June 30, 2008
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
