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MRT 2/27/25 (free) (sponsored No Scrubs): TX S.C. Chief Justice Blacklock: Raise Judicial Pay, Pass Bail Reform // ATX Rent Down 22% // 76 in TX House Co-Sponsor School Choice Bill
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
Matt Mackowiak
February 27, 2025
In partnership with
THURSDAY || 2/27/25
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TOP NEWS
“New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail laws,” Texas Tribune's Eleanor Klibanoff — “In his first address to the Texas Legislature, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock struck a more ideological tone than his predecessor, proudly embracing constitutional originalism, a judicial philosophy often associated with conservatives.
“Our Constitution means the same thing yesterday, today and tomorrow, until the people of Texas decide to change it,” he said. “This is called constitutional originalism, and under this Supreme Court, it is the law in Texas.”
He contrasted this with the idea, more typically associated with the left, that the Constitution is a living document that should evolve with changing times.
“In Texas, under this Supreme Court, the living Constitution is dead,” Blacklock said, to cheers and applause from the joint session of state representatives and senators who gathered for the biannual State of the Judiciary speech.
Before he was appointed to the bench in 2017, Blacklock worked under Gov. Greg Abbott, first at the attorney general’s office and then as his general counsel, helping lead some of Texas’ biggest legal fights on abortion, voting access, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act.
Abbott appointed him chief justice in January to replace Nathan Hecht, who stepped down due to the mandatory judicial retirement age. Hecht was the longest serving Supreme Court justice in Texas history, spending 36 years on the high court, 10 of them as chief justice, and 43 years as a judge.
“He first became a judge just a few days after my first birthday in 1981,” Blacklock noted in his speech. “All of his fellow Texans, young and old, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, owe Nathan Hecht a great debt of gratitude for his tireless and principled work to promote the rule of law and to make justice a greater reality for every Texan.”
The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court addresses the Legislature biannually on behalf of the judicial branch. Blacklock reported that Texas’ judiciary was in good shape, but he nonetheless was “going to make a few suggestions, perhaps a few complaints” to legislators about how things could be improved.
He echoed years of calls, from Hecht and others, to increase judicial salaries, saying the base pay for district judges had not been raised since 2013, putting Texas 48th out of 50 states for judicial salaries. The Judicial Compensation Commission has recommended a 30% pay increase across the board for judges, which Blacklock said was necessary to attract and retain talented lawyers to the profession.
“If these were just any government employees, those of you who know me know that I would be more likely to recommend a Department of Government Efficiency than a pay raise,” he said, referring to the controversial federal cost-cutting effort run by tech billionaire Elon Musk. “But we're not talking about any bureaucrats. We're talking about the constitutional officers of a co-equal branch of government.”
Blacklock said these raises were necessary while also calling out a “few judges who may not be working as hard as the job demands.” He said he had “no patience” for these alleged slackers, and would use his authority as chief justice to identify “problem judges,” using clearance rates and other metrics to figure out where there were weak spots and pushing to have those judges removed from the bench if necessary.
The framers of the Constitution, he said, “gave us tools to fix these problems in the very rare cases where they arise, and if we forget about these tools, or we don't use them because we think it would be too difficult, or it might make us look bad, then we're not allowing our Constitution to operate the way it was designed.”
Blacklock threw his support behind the legislative effort to tighten restrictions on when a defendant can be let out on bail, which Abbott has designated an emergency item. He said this was necessary to support law enforcement, as there were people out there who would find ways to do evil, no matter how many laws the Legislature passed to stop them.
“They aren't stopped by laws written on paper or by judges and voters,” he said. “The only thing that can stop a bad man with a gun who means to do evil is a good man with a gun who means to do justice.”" Texas Tribune
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TOP NEWS
“Austin rents tumble 22% on massive home building spree” SAEN ($)
“UT, Texas A&M unite to push for more higher education funding: 'Tremendous tradition'” AAS ($)
“Texas sues NCAA, calls for 'sex screening' of athletes” Fox 7 Austin
#TXLEGE
“Thin majority of Texas House signs on to support voucher bill” Texas Tribune
“Texas Legislature proposes $400 million cut to higher ed as Dan Patrick threatens university budgets over DEI” Texas Tribune
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Texas Lottery thwarted second bulk buy effort for $83M jackpot: 'Blockbuster' revelation” AAS ($)
“Missouri man arrested, accused of sending threatening emails to Texas Ag Commissioner” KXAN
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Brazoria County evacuation, road closures after courthouse bomb threat” Houston Chronicle ($)
2025
“Fort Worth Mayoral Race Draws Eight Candidates for May Election” The Texan
“Nelson Wolff backs Beto Altamirano in San Antonio mayor race” SAEN ($)
“Three Dallas City Council hopefuls say felony convictions shouldn’t bar them from running” DMN ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> AP: "Texas lottery drawings that paid out big jackpots are the focus of widening investigatons" AP
> TX TRIB: "A shortage of criminal defense attorneys threatens indigent right to counsel in rural Texas" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Who are the Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading?" TX TRIB
> AP: "Texas says this doctor illegally treated trans youth. He says he followed the law" AP
> HOU CHRON: "BP shifts focus to oil and gas production in latest strategy" HOU CHRON
> AP: "Private company rockets toward the moon in the latest rush of lunar landing attempts" AP
> TX MONTHLY: "Bighorn Sheep Once Roamed West Texas by the Thousands. Can They Do It Again?" TX MONTHLY
> TX MONTHLY: "As Trump Clamps Down On Immigration, an El Paso Cafe for Migrants Continues Its Services—but Quietly" TX MONTHLY
> AP: "As measles cases mount in the US, what’s the situation worldwide?" AP
> HOU CHRON: "Apple's new manufacturing facility will bring thousands of jobs to Houston" HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: "High housing costs, inflation bite into Texas sales tax growth" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect Texans" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Texas’ has the highest rate of uninsured children, and it’s getting worse" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "ERCOT approves $54 million plan to move CenterPoint’s mobile generators to San Antonio" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "U.S. Rep. August Pfluger benefits from fund drive promoting third Trump term" TX TRIB
> AP: "Texas pipeline company’s $300M lawsuit against Greenpeace heads to trial in North Dakota" AP
> TX TRIB: "Bexar County hires veteran election official pushed out of previous job amid right-wing criticism" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "More than 100 arrested in Colony Ridge raids, ICE says" TX TRIB
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Montgomery County looks to state, federal funding for $350M in projects" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Texas Senate committee moves to ban online lottery ticket sales" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Frisco ISD joins litigation for youth protection on social media platforms" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Othram to Partner with U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to solve missing and murdered cases" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Kalahari could open proposed Allen location by 2030" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "'We are out of options': Judges urge action for new Montgomery County Courthouse" COMMUNITY IMPACT
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports scores:
> NBA: Houston 118, San Antonio 106
> NCAAM: Vanderbilt 86, #12 Texas A&M 84
> NCAAM: #18 Memphis 84, Rice 72
> NCAAM: Arkansas 86, Texas 81
> NCAAM: SMU 81, California 77
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NCAAM: North Texas at Florida Atlantic (ESPN2)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Abilene Christian at Tarleton State (ESPN+)
> 7:30m: NBA: Charlotte at Dallas
> 8pm: NCAAM: UT-Arlington at Grand Canyon (ESPN+)
> 8pm: NCAAM: Western Kentucky at UTEP (CBS Sports Network)
HOUSTON ROCKETS / SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Luka Doncic reminds Mavs of generational talent in win vs. Dallas" AP
HOUSTON DYNAMO: "Lionel Messi is coming to play in Houston. How much are tickets?" Houston Chronicle ($)