Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick and Speaker Bonnen Name Appointees To Texas Commission on Judicial Selection
Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dennis Bonnen have named their appointees to the newly formed Texas Commission on Judicial Selection. House Bill 3040 (Hunter/Huffman) created the 15-member commission and charged it with evaluating the merits of alternative methods of judicial selection, to produce findings and recommendations for reform to the Legislature by December 31, 2020.
Governor Abbott has appointed Charles “Chip” Babcock, David Beck, Martha Hill Jamison, and David Oliveira to the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection with Beck serving as chairman. Lt. Governor Patrick has appointed Senators Joan Huffman (Houston), Juan “Chuy” Hinijosa (McAllen), Brian Birdwell (Granbury) and Robert Nichols (Jacksonville) to the Commission. Speaker Bonnen has named Representatives Todd Hunter (Corpus Christi), Brooks Landgraf (Odessa), Ina Minijarez (San Antonio) and Carl Sherman (DeSoto).
Wallace B. Jefferson, Thomas R. Phillips and Lynne Liberato have already been appointed by the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the State Bar of Texas, respectively.
Charles “Chip” Babcock of Houston is a partner at Jackson Walker. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Law Institute, and the Brown University Advisory Board. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, Litigation Counsel of America, The Center for American and International Law, and The Texas Philosophical Society. Babcock received an A.B. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.
David Beck of Houston is a senior partner at Beck Redden. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Warren E. Burger Society National Center for State Courts, the Center for American and International Law Board of Trustees, and the National Judicial College Advisory Board and a fellow of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the University of Texas System Board of Regents, where he is chairman of the Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management Committee and chairman of the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee. He serves as a member of the Finance and Planning Committee and the Health Affairs Committee and the University Lands Advisory Board, and as an Athletics Liaison. Beck received a Bachelor of Science from Lamar University and a LL.B. degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
Martha Hill Jamison of Houston is retired, and previously served on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals for nine years, and as judge of the 164th Civil District Court for nine years. Prior to her service with the Texas judiciary, she worked in both public and private sectors. She is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Additionally, she is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the American Law Institute and former president of the American Judicature Society. She is a senior fellow for the American Leadership Forum and a former board member of Young Life Region. Jamison received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
David Oliveira of McAllen is a partner with Roerig, Oliveira & Fisher, LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Cameron County Bar Association, and the Lone Star National Bank Advisory Board. He is a member and former chair of the Valley Initiative Development and Advancement and a member of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Development Board and the UT Chancellors Council Executive Committee. Additionally, he is a former director for the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, former chair of the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees, and a former member of UTRGV Medical School Advisory Board and the UTRGV President Search Committee. Oliveira received a Bachelor of Arts from UT Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University Law School.