Court News

It’s a beautiful day in Plano as the “Posse” reconvenes to begin the planning process for this fall’s EDTX bench/bar meeting. The meetings (such as they are) began night before last, continued through a morning of fishing on Lake Texoma yesterday, and through the afternoon and evening at Clyde Siebman’s ranch which, inexplicably, is still in Oklahoma. We got an initial briefing from Clyde about which judges and prominent speakers are confirmed, and discussed potential panels. Those discussions will continue today with the larger group with additional input from Chief Judge Gilstrap. These are always fun meetings as we compare notes on what’s happening in the district, and see what topics the attendees would be most interested in.

We received some good news shortly before Judge Alan Albright’s investiture ceremony in Waco yesterday – Texas Deputy Solicitor General J. Campbell Barker was confirmed by the Senate for one of the three remaining EDTX vacancies. As Cam was at the ceremony we were able to congratulate him personally. When he starts is not certain – once the President signs his commission I understand there will be a small ceremony at the Texas Supreme Court to swear him in to make him official, but whether that’s this weekend or next week or later is not known yet.

That leaves two nominees pending, Michael Truncale for Beaumont and Sean Jordan for Plano. Both nominations have cleared the Judiciary committee and are just waiting on floor votes, which are expected within a few weeks.

It’s been a landmark week in DC, and this week that included steps to fill the three remaining EDTX judicial vacancies. As readers are aware, the district has eight authorized judgeships and had been carrying four vacancies for several years prior to last fall’s confirmation of Judge Kernodle for one of the Tyler vacancies.

President Trump’s first EDTX judicial nominee for the new Congress is Sean D. Jordan of Austin. Mr. Jordan is currently in private practice in Austin, and was formerly the principal deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Solicitor General of Texas. At one point prior to that he jumped out of airplanes for a living with the 82nd Airborne.