Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Jimmy Blacklock as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas on January 6, and appointed James P. Sullivan as the court’s Place 2 justice, filling Blacklock’s previous spot, according to a press release.
Blacklock becomes the court’s 28th chief justice, replacing former Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, who retired at the end of December following a 36-year tenure on the state’s highest bench. Hecht was elected to the Supreme Court of Texas seven times in total, beginning in 1988. He first became chief justice in 2014 and was re-elected to the position in 2020.
Abbott will administer the oath of office to Blacklock in a private ceremony on January 7, according to a press release.
“I am grateful to Gov. Abbott for this appointment and for his leadership of our great state,” Blacklock said in a press release. “Chief Justice Hecht leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service to the court and to the people of Texas. I join all my colleagues in thanking him and honoring him for his wisdom and his leadership over the years. The Supreme Court of Texas belongs to the people of Texas, not to the judges or the lawyers. 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. I look forward to helping the court continue to pursue equal justice under the law for all Texans.”
Blacklock, a Houston native, has served on the Supreme Court of Texas since January 2018. He honed his legal skills serving as a clerk for Judge Jerry Smith on the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and practiced civil litigation and appeals in private practice in Houston and Austin, according to a press release. Before he served as Abbott’s general counsel, Blacklock spent six years in the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Blacklock, a member of the Federalist Society, received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a JD from Yale Law School.
“Jimmy Blacklock has been a principled jurist while serving on the highest court in Texas and will be steadfast in his commitment to the rule of law as the court’s next chief justice,” Abbott said in a press release.
Sullivan, of Austin, has served as Abbott’s general counsel since November 2021. Previously, he spent time as deputy general counsel to the governor, assistant solicitor general of Texas, and as a law clerk to Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in addition to stints as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and an appellate litigator in private practice, according to a press release. He is a member of the Federalist Society and Teneo. Sullivan received a Bachelor of Arts from Rice University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
“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 said in a press release. “He has the integrity, temperament, and experience Texas needs as a Texas Supreme Court Justice. 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.”
PHOTO: Justice Jimmy Blacklock takes the oath of office as a Supreme Court of Texas justice in the Supreme Court of Texas court room in 2018.