Supreme Court Advisory Committee

The Supreme Court Advisory Committee (SCAC), first created in 1940 and periodically reconstituted since then, assists the Supreme Court in the continuing study, review, and development of rules of administration and procedure for Texas courts, taking into consideration the rules of other courts in the United States and proposals for changes from whatever source received. The Committee drafts rules as directed by the Court; solicits, summarizes, and reports to the Court the views of the bar and the public on court rules and procedures; and makes recommendations for change. Votes taken by the Committee are solely for informational purposes. The Committee's discussions and recommendations are advisory and not binding on the Court. 

Committee meetings are held after public notice and are open to the public. A record is made of all Committee proceedings. Committee expenses are paid from funds appropriated by the Legislature or provided by the State Bar of Texas. 

Members of the Committee are appointed by the Supreme Court, which from time to time determines their number, qualifications, and terms of service. A Chair appointed by the Court to serve at its pleasure calls meetings with the approval of the Court, prepares an agenda in advance of each meeting, and presides over the meetings. Proposals, drafts, and other materials to be discussed are provided at or before meetings.

Members

The following persons are appointed by orders of the Court (Misc. Docket No. 23-9110), to serve as members of the Committee until December 31, 2026:

• Charles L. (Chip) Babcock IV, Houston
• Hon. Bill Boyce, Houston
• Hon. Harvey G. Brown, Houston
• Hon. John Browning, Plano
• Jerry Bullard, Grapevine
• Prof. Elaine A. G. Carlson, Houston
• Jack P. Carroll, Beaumont
• Hon. Tracy E. Christopher, Houston
• Hon. Nicholas Chu, Austin
• Alistair B. Dawson, Houston
• Hon. Ana E. Estevez, Amarillo
• Hon. David L. Evans, Fort Worth
• Victor Flores, Mission
• L. Hayes Fuller III, Waco
• Cynthia Barela Graham, Amarillo
• Hon. Tom Gray, Waco
• Marcy Greer, Austin
• Rusty Hardin, Houston
• Michael A. Hatchell, Austin
• Lisa Bowlin Hobbs, Austin
• Prof. Lonny S. Hoffman, Houston
• Roger W. Hughes, Harlingen
• Lamont Jefferson, San Antonio
• Hon. Peter Michael Kelly, Houston
• Hon. David Keltner, Fort Worth
• John H. Kim, Houston
• Robert L. Levy, Houston
• Hon. Emily Miskel, McKinney
• Richard R. Orsinger, San Antonio
• Giana Ortiz, Arlington
• Jim M. Perdue, Jr., Houston
• Constance H. Pfeiffer, Houston
• Richard B. Phillips, Jr., Dallas
• Christopher D. Porter, Houston
• Thomas C. Riney, Amarillo
• Eduardo R. Rodriguez, Brownsville
• Hon. Maria Salas Mendoza, El Paso
• Hon. Robert Schaffer, Houston
• Pete Schenkkan, Austin
• Quentin Smith, Houston
• Macey Reasoner Stokes, Houston
• Kent C. Sullivan, Austin
• Hon. R. H. Wallace, Jr., Fort Worth
• Charles R. Watson, Jr., Austin
• Kennon Wooten, Austin

Emeritus Members

The following person is appointed as an emeritus member of the Committee:

• Professor William V. Dorsaneo III
• Gilbert I. (Buddy) Low

Ex Officio Members

The following persons are appointed ex officio members of the Committee, to serve at the pleasure of the Court:

• a member of the Court of Criminal Appeals designated by that Court
• the Chair of the State Bar of Texas Court Rules Committee
• Hon. Sharena Gilliland of Weatherford
• Hon. John F. Warren of Dallas

Chair & Vice Chair

• Charles L. (Chip) Babcock IV is appointed chairman of the Committee.

Document Repository

The Jackson Walker law firm maintains an online database of some documents related to SCAC, at http://scac.jw.com/.