Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Jimmy Blacklock as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas and James P. Sullivan as a justice on the court.
Blacklock, a member of the Federalist Society, has served on the Texas Supreme Court since January 2018. Before that, he worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a private litigator, and spent six years in the Texas attorney general’s office.
He is taking over for Nathan Hecht, who served as chief justice since 2013 and was forced to resign at the end of 2024 due to the Texas Constitution’s age cap of 75 years to serve on the court. Hecht took office as a Texas Supreme Court justice in 1989.
“With more than 35 years on the bench, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht is the state’s longest-serving Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, and I am grateful for his dedication to the rule of law and his service to our great state,” stated Abbott. “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.”
Hecht recently reflected on his time as chief justice, calling it “the honor of a lifetime,” according to Austin’s KTBC 7.
“I am proud of the advancements we’ve made in ensuring justice is accessible and efficient, and I am confident that the Court will continue to uphold these principles in the years to come,” continued Hecht.
Blacklock beat Democrat challenger DaSean Jones for the Place 1 position on November 5, 2024, by 16.6 percentage points—58.3 percent to 41.7 percent. He faced no challenge during the March 5 Republican Primary.
James P. Sullivan was selected by Abbott to fill Blacklock’s former Place 2 seat. He formerly served as the governor’s general counsel, starting in 2021. Sullivan, like Blacklock, is a member of the Federalist Society and has a history of serving as a clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
In October, Sullivan filed an amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court arguing that Abbott, as governor, had sole authority under the state’s constitution to grant reprieves in capital cases.
“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,” read Abbott’s statement.
