This is a blog about Texas appellate practice, with a special focus on the Supreme Court of Texas.

Goals for the Blog

The blog is written for a sophisticated audience: Texas lawyers and their clients.  It will be of obvious interest to appellate lawyers who practice before the Court.  It should be equally useful to practitioners in the intermediate appellate courts and to trial lawyers as they make judgments about which legal issues to pursue below (and then on appeal).

A broad view of the Court’s docket — and a preview of pending cases — may also help parties and interest groups identify cases in which it would help to file an amicus curiae brief.  The decisions of the Court resonate far beyond the parties before the Court, and without knowledge of which issues are pending before the Court now, clients and lawyers risk being taken by surprise by unfavorable turns in the law.

What To Expect

To serve these groups, the blog will collect three kinds of articles:

•  “Case Notes” — covering pending cases and recent decisions from the Supreme Court of Texas
• “News and Links” — pointers to stories in the media (or other blogs) that deal with questions of Texas law or the Supreme Court of Texas
• “Practice Notes” — articles about practice before the Court, including analysis of trends and suggested techniques for succeeding in the Court

Because its focus is on appellate practice, this blog may not have as much coverage of political issues affecting the Court as do some other blogs.  

How To Participate

I want this blog to be a useful tool for the appellate community.  I very much welcome contributions that further that goal.  If you have suggestions, please email me at the address in the sidebar.  You are also invited to directly participate.   So long as the discussions remain constructive, the “comments” features of the blog will be active.  If you want to do more, such as to submit your own article or case note, please send a proposal or a draft to me.