Court History
John E. Hickman (September 21, 1945, to January 5, 1948):
Supreme Court commissioner became Supreme Court justice in September 1945 by constitutional amendment. Elected in November 1946. Became chief justice in January 1948.
W. St. John Garwood (January 14, 1948, to December 31, 1958):
Appointed in January 1948 by Governor Beauford H. Jester to fill Hickman's vacancy. Elected in November 1948 and re-elected in November 1952. Retired in January 1959.
Robert W. Hamilton (January 1, 1959, to December 31, 1970):
Elected in November 1958 and re-elected in November 1964. Retired in January 1971.
James G. Denton (January 1, 1971, to June 10, 1982):
Elected in November 1970 and re-elected in November 1976. Died in office.
Ruby Kless Sondock (June 25, 1982, to December 31, 1983):
Appointed in June 1982 by Governor William P. Clements to fill Denton's vacancy. Returned to Harris County district court.
William W. Kilgarlin (January 1, 1983, to December 31, 1988):
Defeated by Justice Denton in the primary, but placed on the November 1982 general-election ballot after Denton's death. Elected in November 1982 and defeated in November 1988.
Nathan L. Hecht (January 1, 1989, to October 1, 2013):
Elected in November 1988 and re-elected in November 1994, November 2000 and November 2006 and November 2012. Justice Hecht was appointed chief justice to replace Wallace B. Jefferson.
Jeffrey V. Brown (October 3, 2013, to September 11, 2019):
Appointed in September 2013. Elected in 2014 and 2018. Resigned in January 2019 to become U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of Texas.
Jane Bland (September 11, 2019, to present):
Appointed to replace Justice Brown in September 2019. Elected in 2020. Her current term ends December 31, 2024.