Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson will retire from the bench on Oct. 1, leaving behind a legacy of efficiency, transparency and access to justice on the state's highest civil court.
Jefferson says he has not yet determined his future employment plans.
"I'm sorry to go. It's just been a wonderful 12 years," Jefferson says of his decision. "And I know there are many aspects about leaving that I'll regret."
Gov. Rick Perry first appointed Jefferson to the court in 2001, after Jefferson had made his name in appellate law as a partner in San Antonio's Crofts, Callaway & Jefferson, successfully arguing two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Perry elevated Jefferson to chief justice in September 2004 after then-Chief Justice Tom Phillips' retirement.
A humorous episode that occurred in 2003 right after Perry announced Jefferson as his choice to lead the high court would foreshadow Jefferson's later decision to leave the court. After a press conference, Jefferson's then 7-year-old son Sam, beaming from his father's accomplishment, gave a humorous interview with a television reporter in which he said he was glad his dad got the appointment because it would mean more money for their family. Sam is now a 17-year-old high school senior; he has a 19-year-old brother who's a sophomore at Southern Methodist University and a younger brother who's 14-years-old, Jefferson says.
"I don't want to overemphasize the salary question. I think the Legislature has done what they can to improve the salaries for judges," says Jefferson. The outgoing chief justice advocated and helped win a pay raise for state judges from the Legislature recently, as well as the creation of a commission that will study judicial salary compensation.
"The bigger question comes in any family's life: What is best for your family? And it seems to me that this was the best for my family," Jefferson says of his decision to leave the court. "The potential for greater compensation exists, and the court had accomplished a lot of what it set out to do over the course of 12 years. And now it's time for someone else to put their stamp on the court."
Jefferson says he has no idea where he's going to land after leaving the court.
"I haven't attempted to pursue any opportunities yet. Private practice is certainly an option. But I don't want to limit myself. Anything that's challenging or meaningful" is a possibility, he says.
Agent of Change
Jefferson arrived on the court during a time when it was constantly losing its justices to retirement, defeat at the polls or other political offices — he served with 21 different justices during his tenure. Lawyers were complaining the court was too slow, as it was leaving a large number of cases undecided from term to term.
Jefferson helped reform the court's internal deadlines and placed a higher priority on cases that were close to being decided, made sure his colleagues were prepared to draft opinions, and changed the court's computers from an aging DOS system to a new system with updated management software, he says.
"I had the privilege of working with incredible judges who committed themselves to the work of the court," Jefferson says. "They all understood that our job is to decide cases as quickly as possible with solid jurisprudence."
Jefferson will be missed, says Justice Nathan Hecht, the court's most senior justice.
"We've lost a great leader, and I wish him well. But we have his outstanding legacy to build on," Hecht says "His work for access to justice and transparency and just exceptional quality will keep going."
Hecht, who has served on the court since 1989, says he's interested in replacing Jefferson as chief justice.
"I'm certainly interested in continuing the administrative efforts that Wallace has made," Hecht says. "I agreed to be the court's liaison for access to justice because Wallace knew I wouldn't quit until it was done. So I certainly want to see all of those things continue."
Kurt Kuhn, an appellate lawyer and partner in Austin's Kuhn Hobbs, says Jefferson is a "class act" who earned the respect of both the bench and the Bar.
"He's represented the state well, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. He's done a lot of amazing things," says Kuhn, noting that Jefferson, with Hecht's assistance, helped convince frugal lawmakers to fund legal services to the poor and opened up the court's transparency with live videos of oral argument and increased internet access to the briefing of cases and the court's decisions.
"A lot of his legacy will be in those institutional structures that mark a court," Kuhn says of Jefferson. "Whether you agree with its opinions or not, it's efficient, it's open, and it serves the interest of Texas justice."
Jefferson has a compelling political story to tell: He's the first African American to serve on Texas' highest court, and he's the great-great-great-grandson of Shedrick Willis, a Waco slave who was once owned by a state court judge. Politics aren't likely a consideration in his "near or distant future" he says.
"I have increased admiration for public servants. I didn't appreciate all that they do until I took this office. I want to support our good public servants in any way I can," by advocating policy as a private citizen, he says. "But it's difficult to run for office and having to raise money, especially for a judge having to explain to people that even though this is a partisan job, the law is not partisan."
