Texas Supreme Court advisory

Contact: Lisa Hobbs, general counsel

512.463.6645 or click for email

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

GUIDE TO TASK FORCE HEARINGS, RECORD

ON PROPOSED CODE OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT REVISIONS

Proposed revisions to the Code of Judicial Conduct remain under study by the Texas Supreme Court. The following links are to audio recordings of hearings the Court held on the proposed revisions and to work on the proposals by a Court-appointed task force.

Proposed revisions reach further than changes in the Code approved by the Court shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White. The White decision held unconstitutional a Minnesota prohibition against judicial candidates announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues. In August 2003, the Supreme Court created the Task Force on the Code of Judicial Conduct to conduct the first thorough review of the Code of Judicial Conduct in more than 10 years with a charge to review thoroughly the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct.

Hearings began July 11 in Houston at the South Texas College of Law and continued July 21 in Lubbock at Texas Tech University School of Law; July 28 in San Antonio at St. Mary’s University School of Law and August 11 in Dallas at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Hearing at South Texas College of Law

Hearing at Texas Tech University School of Law (pending)

Hearing at SMU-Dedman School of Law (pending)

Hearing at St. Mary’s University School of Law

Part 1

Part 2

Note: Listening to these hearings may require a high-speed download. If you have difficulty in downloading, copies may be obtained on CD by contacting Osler McCarthy at 512.463.1441 or by email.

In January 2005, the task force issued its final report.

Appendix:

Subcommittee Report: Canon 1 & Preamble

Subcommittee Report: Canon 2 and Canon 8

Subcommittee Report: Canon 2 and Canon 8 (Amended)

Subcommittee Report: Canon 3

Subcommittee Report: Canon 3 (Supplement)