Court History

September 2004 to October 2013

Wallace B. Jefferson was appointed to the Supreme Court on September 14, 2004, by Governor Rick Perry, and named Chief Justice in 2004. Jefferson made Texas history as the Court’s first African-American Justice and Chief Justice. Chief Justice Jefferson was elected in 2006 to finish the remaining two years of Chief Justice Phillips' unexpired term, then re-elected in 2008 to a full term.

He has successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He led the Court’s efforts to fund access to justice programs; helped reform juvenile justice; and inaugurated a statewide electronic filing system for Texas courts. During his time on the bench, Jefferson was elected President of the Conference of Chief Justices.

A graduate of the James Madison College at Michigan State University and The University of Texas School of Law, Jefferson is the namesake for Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School in San Antonio. He is Chair of the Texas Commission to Expand Civil Legal Services, serves on the Board of the by-invitation-only American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and is a Council member of the of American Law Institute.  Jefferson is also a member of the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection and serves on the Board of the Project on Government Oversight and Lexitas. Jefferson has been certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1993.

He resigned on October 1, 2013, to return to private law practice at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson, as Co-Chair of the firm’s Texas Supreme Court and State Appellate Practice.