You don't often have a forum where attorneys get to grill members of the Texas Supreme Court, but that is reportedly what happened at a conference sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association.  According to an article by the Dallas Morning News, the situation was almost unprecedented:

Sample query: Do the justices hunt for plaintiff victories in appeal courts just so they can overturn them?

"To be honest, I've never seen anything quite like that in a bar group," Justice Paul Green told Texas Lawyer magazine after the event.

The incident has added fire to a decade-long debate over whether Texas' highest court favors big business in lawsuits.

And the criticism is increasing. There has been a lot of criticism about the Court from the plaintiff's bar, but in the last year, the academic world has chimed in with a groundswell of criticism.  For example, Professor Gerald Powell of Baylor filed an amicus brief with the Court criticizing its review of jury decisions. Several other law professors around the state joined in with that brief.  In addition, UT professor David Anderson has published an article that reviewed the Court's decisions over two recent terms, finding that the Court found for big business and insurance companies over 87% of the time. 

We are glad that the popular press is highlighting some of the conduct of the Supreme Court, and we hope that voters pay attention during the next election.

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