Court History

January 6, 2025 to present

James D. Blacklock became the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas by appointment of Governor Abbott on January 6, 2025.

Governor Abbott first appointed Justice Blacklock to the Court in 2018, and he won in the general election later that year. Justice Blacklock was then re-elected in the 2024 general election.

Justice Blacklock was born in Houston and grew up in Missouri City, Texas, where he attended public school, graduating from Elkins High School. He then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and from Yale Law School. Before joining the Court, Justice Blacklock served as Governor Abbott’s general counsel and in the Attorney General’s office, where he practiced appellate litigation among other duties. Justice Blacklock was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. He clerked for Judge Jerry Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked in private practice in Houston and Austin.

He lives in Austin with his wife and their three daughters.