Office of the Governor Rick Perry Press Release
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Justice Nathan L. Hecht of Austin as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Justice Hecht's term will be effective Oct. 1, 2013, and is set to expire at the next general election. He will serve as the 27th chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas.
"I am proud to appoint Justice Hecht as chief justice of the highest court in the state,"Gov. Perry said. "I know Justice Hecht to be a man of the most upstanding character and integrity, with an uncompromising commitment to protecting the interests of the citizens of Texas. As the most senior justice on the Court, his dedication to the rule of law and wealth of knowledge and judicial experience will be invaluable as he serves in this new role."
Justice Hecht was first elected to the Supreme Court of Texas in 1988 and is the senior justice on the Court. Justice Hecht has won re-election four times. During his time on the Court, Justice Hecht has authored more than 350 opinions. He is also responsible for the Supreme Court's efforts to assure that all Texans, including those living below the poverty level, have access to basic civil legal services.
Prior to his service on the Supreme Court of Texas, he served as a justice of the Texas 5th Court of Appeals and as judge of the 95th Judicial District Court in Dallas County. He is also a former associate attorney and shareholder of Locke, Purnell, Boren, Laney and Neely, PC, now known as Locke, Lord, Bissell and Liddell, LLP, and is a former law clerk to Judge Roger Robb of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Justice Hecht is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the District of Columbia Bar, and the American, Dallas, and Austin Bar associations. He is a commissioner of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, a life fellow of the American Law Institute, a fellow of the American, Texas, and Dallas Bar foundations, and a past member of the US Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. He served as a lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAGC).
Justice Hecht received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law.
