Branch

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Texas

Composed of the chief justice and eight justices, the Supreme Court of Texas is the court of last resort for civil matters in the state. The Supreme Court is in Austin, immediately northwest of the state Capitol.

Supreme Court justices are elected to staggered six-year terms in statewide elections. When a vacancy arises the governor may appoint a Justice, subject to Senate confirmation, to serve the remainder of an unexpired term until the next general election. Justices must be at least 35 years old, a citizen of Texas, licensed to practice law in Texas and must have practiced law (or have been a lawyer and a judge of a court of record together) for at least ten years (see Texas Constitution, Art. 5, Sec. 2).

By statute the Court has administrative control over the State Bar of Texas. Tex. Gov't Code § 81.011. The Court is also the sole authority for licensing attorneys in Texas and appoints the members of the Board of Law Examiners, which administers the Texas bar examination. Tex. Gov't Code §§ 82.00, 82.004.

The Court promulgates the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Texas Rules of Evidence and other rules and standards.

Texas Supreme Court Coronavirus Update

April 01, 2020

All service and statute-of-limitations deadlines have been delayed in civil cases from March 13 until June 1 unless the chief justice extends it, under a Texas Supreme Court order issued Wednesday, April 1. The tolling does not affect deadlines for filing appeals or other appellate proceedings, but the order notes that requests for any such relief should be “generously granted” by the particular court.

Chief Justice Assigns 31 Texas Judges to Handle Coronavirus Emergencies

March 06, 2020

In an order posted late Friday, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht authorized 31 judges to be ready to sit in counties outside their regional administrative judicial regions.

Chief Justice Hecht Urges the ABA in Austin: 'Jealously Guard' Judicial Independence

February 18, 2020

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht told the American Bar Association’s elected governors Monday that America’s state courts are battling problems within and without that challenge the rule of law.

Baylor Law Grad's Parents Get His Law License, Posthumously

January 28, 2020

Five months after Ty Drury died last August, his parents got for for their son what he spent three years to get: a law license.

Chief Justice Delivers State of Judiciary to Texas Legislature

February 06, 2019

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht delivered his State of the Judiciary address Wednesday before a joint session of the Texas Legislature in the House of Representatives, calling for bail reform and money for continuing technological improvements for pretrial-release considerations, higher salaries for judges and non-partisan election of judges. He also urged reforms that protect people in guardianship, juvenile-justice improvement and mental-health needs for criminal offenders.