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Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, has been named the brand new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court docket. He replaces Nathan Hecht, the courtroom’s longest serving justice, who stepped down on the finish of December because of the obligatory judicial retirement age.
Abbott appointed his normal counsel, James P. Sullivan, to take the seat vacated by Blacklock’s promotion.
“The Supreme Court of Texas plays a crucial role to shape the future of our great state, and Jimmy Blacklock and James Sullivan will be unwavering guardians of the Texas Constitution serving on our state’s highest judicial court,” Abbott stated in an announcement.
As chief justice, Blacklock will tackle a bigger position within the administration of the courtroom. Throughout his tenure, Hecht helped reform the foundations of civil process and was a fierce advocate for authorized help and different packages to assist low-income Texans entry the justice system. However, as he advised The Texas Tribune in December, in relation to rulings, “the chief is just one voice of nine.”
Including Sullivan to the courtroom will additional safe the courtroom’s conservative stronghold. Whereas Hecht got here up in an period when state courts have been much less politically related, Blacklock and Sullivan are each younger proteges of an more and more lively conservative authorized motion.
James Sullivan, who served most just lately as normal counsel for the Workplace of the Governor, has been appointed as justice to the Supreme Court docket of Texas. He takes the seat of Jimmy Blacklock, who replaces John Hecht because the courtroom’s chief justice.
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Blacklock attended Yale Legislation College and clerked on the fifth U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals, and after a stint in non-public apply, he joined the Texas Workplace of the Legal professional Basic beneath Abbott. He helped lead Texas’ aggressive litigation technique in opposition to the Obama administration, defending the state’s restrictive abortion and voter identification legal guidelines, homosexual marriage restrictions and campaign in opposition to the Reasonably priced Care Act.
When Abbott grew to become governor, Blacklock grew to become his normal counsel. Abbott appointed him to the bench in December 2017, when he was simply 38 years outdated.
The Texas Supreme Court docket has remodeled over the previous few many years from a plaintiff-friendly venue dominated by Democrats to the unique area of more and more conservative Republicans. Abbott, a former justice himself, has performed an enormous position on this shift, appointing six of the 9 present justices, together with Sullivan.
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Sullivan graduated from Harvard Legislation College and clerked for the D.C. Circuit Court docket of Appeals. He spent 4 years as Texas assistant solicitor normal throughout Abbott’s tenure as lawyer normal, and in 2018, grew to become Abbott’s deputy normal counsel. In 2021, he grew to become the governor’s normal counsel.
“As General Counsel for the Office of the Governor, James Sullivan has provided superior legal advice and rendered opinions on some of the most consequential legal issues in Texas,” Abbott stated in an announcement. “He has the integrity, temperament, and experience Texas needs as a Texas Supreme Court Justice.”
It’s now seen as one of the crucial conservative excessive courts within the nation, issuing consequential rulings on abortion, COVID restrictions, well being look after trans minors and native management in simply the previous few years. Whereas Democrats have tried to pin these typically unpopular rulings on the justices throughout election years, incumbents have a tendency to simply win reelection in these comparatively low-awareness down-ballot races.
Blacklock defeated Harris County District Decide DaSean Jones in November by greater than 16 factors. In an announcement Monday, he thanked Hecht for his “extraordinary legacy of service.”
“The Supreme Court of Texas belongs to the People of Texas, not to the judges or the lawyers,” he stated. “Our job at the Court is to apply the law fairly and impartially to every case that comes before us. My colleagues and I are committed to defending the rule of law and to preserving our Texas and United States Constitutions.”
