Jeffrey S. Boyd
2012 - Present
2026
11
Jeffrey S. Boyd (Republican Party) is a judge for Place 7 of the Texas Supreme Court. He assumed office on December 3, 2012. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Boyd (Republican Party) ran for re-election for the Place 7 judge of the Texas Supreme Court. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Governor Rick Perry (R) appointed Boyd to the Texas Supreme Court on November 26, 2012, to replace Justice Dale Wainwright.[1] To read more about judicial selection in Texas, click here.
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country. As part of this study, we assigned each justice a Confidence Score describing our confidence in the degree of partisanship exhibited by the justices' past partisan behavior, before they joined the court.[2] Boyd received a confidence score of Strong Republican.[3] Click here to read more about this study.
Biography
Education
Boyd earned an undergraduate degree in biblical studies, graduating cum laude, from Abilene Christian University in 1983.[4] He earned a J.D., graduating summa cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1991.[5][6]
Career
- 2012 - Present: Justice, Texas Supreme Court
- 2011-2012: Chief of staff, Governor Rick Perry
- 2011: General counsel, Governor Rick Perry
- 2003-2011: Senior partner, Thompson & Knight L.L.P.
- 2000-2003: Deputy attorney general, Texas Attorney General's Office
- 1992-2000: Associate/partner, Thompson & Knight L.L.P.
- 1991-1992: Law clerk, Judge Thomas M. Reavley, U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit[5][7]
Awards
- 2006-2010: Texas Super Lawyer
- 2004: Texas Super Lawyer, government practice[5]
Elections and appointments
2020
See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 7
Incumbent Jeffrey S. Boyd defeated Staci Williams and William Bryan Strange in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeffrey S. Boyd (R) | 53.3 | 5,843,420 |
 | Staci Williams (D) | 44.4 | 4,861,649 | |
 | William Bryan Strange (L) | 2.3 | 256,742 | |
| Total votes: 10,961,811 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7
Staci Williams defeated Brandy Voss in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Staci Williams | 65.1 | 1,134,105 |
 | Brandy Voss | 34.9 | 608,288 | |
| Total votes: 1,742,393 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7
Incumbent Jeffrey S. Boyd advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeffrey S. Boyd | 100.0 | 1,702,071 |
| Total votes: 1,702,071 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 7
William Bryan Strange advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on August 3, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | William Bryan Strange (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2014
- See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2014
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Boyd ran for re-election to the Texas Supreme Court.
Primary: He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014.
General: He defeated Gina Benavides, a Democrat, Don Fulton, a Libertarian, and Charles E. Waterbury, a Green Party candidate, in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 58.9% of the vote.
Benavides served on Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals. Before being elected to that court, she was an attorney for over 18 years. Fulton was an attorney. This was his first election. Waterbury ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the supreme court in 2012.[8][9]
Judicial poll
Below are the results of the 2014 judicial poll, conducted by the State Bar of Texas, which asked attorneys to cast a vote in favor of their preferred candidate in each appellate race.[10]
| Place 7 Justice | |
| Candidate: | Votes: |
|---|---|
| Gina Benavides | 4039 |
| Jeffrey S. Boyd | 3435 |
| Don Fulton | 1207 |
| Charles E. Waterbury | 533 |
Fundraising
Based upon the money spent by candidates running for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court in 2012, experts anticipate 2014's judicial races will continue to be costly. Boyd's colleague on the supreme court, Justice Don Willett, raised $1.7 million for the primary and won re-election in November 2012.[11] Groups with a vested interest in the decisions made by the supreme court are expected to continue to inject large amounts of money into these races.
A political action committee (PAC) has been set up to take in donations to support Boyd's campaign. As of July 15, 2013, Texans for Jeff Boyd collected $415,292 in total contributions.[12] According to Boyd's website, by November 12, 2013, his campaign received close to $600,000 in total contributions.[13]
Campaign contributors
Boyd's campaign took in donations from parties on both sides of the Texas political divide. He received $25,000 from the Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) political action committee and $10,000 from Lanier Law Firm PC.[12][14]
Plaintiff lawyers and firms
In addition to Lanier, Boyd had received contributions from several other Texas plaintiff lawyers and litigation firms, including: Frank Branson, Gilbert "Buddy" Low, Tony Buzbee, past Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) President Mike Gallagher, Richard Mithoff, Susman Godfrey, Walter Umphrey, and Wayne Reaud.[12]
Defense lawyers and firms
Boyd received donations from the following defense firms and defense lawyers: Andrews & Kurth, Texas PAC, Norton Rose Fulbright, Haynes & Boone, Bracewell & Guliani, Baker Botts, Amicus Fund, K & L Gates Committee for Good Government, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, Beck, Redden & Secrest LLP, Gibbs & Bruns LLP, Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP, DLA Piper, and Akin Gump, Baker & Hostetler LLC.[12]
Businesses and business groups
In addition, several business PACs and individuals had donated to Boyd's campaign: AT&T PAC, BNSF RAILPAC, the USAA Employee PAC, and the late founder of Perry Homes, Bob Perry.[12]
Endorsements
As of February 2014, the following groups endorsed Boyd's campaign for re-election:
Boyd had also received support from the Texas Civil Justice League (TCJL), described on their website as, ". . .a bipartisan organization that strongly supports a judiciary that is impartial, qualified and knowledgeable about the law and the constitution of [Texas]."[18] The group offers information about the Texas judicial system and upcoming judicial elections. The group's political action committee, (TCJL PAC), has recommended that all the incumbents running for re-election to the state supreme court be re-elected, including Boyd.[19]
2012
Governor Rick Perry appointed Boyd to the Texas Supreme Court on November 26, 2012, to replace Justice Dale Wainwright.[1]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jeffrey S. Boyd did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Analysis
Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)
Last updated: June 15, 2020
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.
The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on an ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. The scores were based on seven factors, including but not limited to party registration.[20]
The five resulting categories of Confidence Scores were:
- Strong Democrat
- Mild Democrat
- Indeterminate[21]
- Mild Republican
- Strong Republican
This justice's Confidence Score, as well as the factors contributing to that score, is presented below. The information below was current as of June 2020.
Jeffrey
Boyd
Texas
- Partisan Confidence Score:
Strong Republican - Judicial Selection Method:
Elected - Key Factors:
- Was a registered Republican as of 2020
- Held political office as a Republican
- Donated less than $2,000 to Republican candidates
Partisan Profile
Details:
Boyd ran as a Republican when he was elected to the Texas Supreme Court. He donated $450 to Republican candidates. He was chief of staff and general counsel to Gov. Rick Perry (R). He received $26,268 from Vinson & Elkins, $25,000 from USAA, and $25,000 from Ryan LLC, all of which donate more frequently to Republican candidates than Democrats. The state of Texas was a Republican trifecta when he was elected.
Noteworthy cases
Texas Supreme Court rules against Port Authority of San Antonio (2015)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Boeing v. Paxton, No. 12-1007)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Boeing v. Paxton, No. 12-1007)
In a 7-1 opinion in June 2015, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) must block the release of information from a lease between Boeing and the Port Authority of San Antonio. The information, according to Boeing, could benefit the company's competitors. Previously, the state had blocked the release of information only when proprietary information and trade secrets were at stake.[22]
The case concerned the lease between Boeing, an aerospace manufacturer, and the Port Authority for a manufacturing facility at Kelly Field Annex, formerly an Air Force base. In 2005, a former Boeing employee requested the release of the full lease; Paxton's office argued that Boeing's efforts to redact parts of the lease were not protected under the state's Public Information Act.[22]
Boeing argued that information requested could allow a competitor to calculate the San Antonio operation's overhead costs, potentially putting Boeing at a disadvantage for future government projects.[22]
Two lower courts sided with the Attorney General's Office before the Supreme Court reversed their decisions in favor of Boeing.[22]
Judge John Devine wrote for the majority that the test for whether information can be blocked "is whether knowing another bidder’s overhead costs would be an advantage, not whether it would be a decisive advantage."[22] He also cited a recent Attorney General ruling allowing Governor Greg Abbott confidentiality in his meetings with out-of-state businesses he sought to attract to Texas, on the grounds that the governor's office is a "competitor" for the business' jobs.[22]
In the only dissent, Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd argued that Boeing's defense was "too hypothetical and speculative" to qualify for state protection.[22] He wrote that Boeing failed to identify a specific federal contract for which it was competing or any specific competitor; he also wrote that Boeing failed to identify a specific advantage a competitor might garner through the release of the information.[22]
The case drew attention for its reach. Within three months of the ruling, the Attorney General's Office cited Boeing v. Paxton at least three times when siding with private companies under government contract.[22]
Phillips v. Bramlett (2013)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Phillips v. Bramlett, No. 12-0257)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Phillips v. Bramlett, No. 12-0257)
In Boyd's first majority opinion, he noted that the court found the interest owing in a case, after a previous successful appeal, should have been calculated from the date the judgment was first determined. The court also found that after the supreme court returned the case to the trial court, the lower court still technically had jurisdiction over the matter. However, the trial court was obligated to take the actions specified by the high court.[23]
As of February 2014 (five months into the court's 2014 fiscal year), Boyd had written two majority opinions.
Coinmach v. Aspenwood Corp. (2013)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Coinmach Corp. v. Aspenwood Apartment Corp., No. 11-0213)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Coinmach Corp. v. Aspenwood Apartment Corp., No. 11-0213)
Boyd wrote a unanimous opinion on an issue involving the state's landlord tenant law. The court clarified when a landlord can sue a tenant who refuses to vacate the premises after their lease has expired.[24]
Railroad utilities (2014)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Texas Coast Utilities Coalition v. Railroad Commission of Texas, et al., No. 12-0102)
- See also: Texas Supreme Court (Texas Coast Utilities Coalition v. Railroad Commission of Texas, et al., No. 12-0102)
In this case, Boyd authored another unanimous opinion, holding that Texas law allowed the state's Railroad Commission to approve a utility rate schedule that permits automatic adjustments based on the changing costs to provide the service.[25][26]
State supreme court judicial selection in Texas
- See also: Judicial selection in Texas
The nine justices of the Texas Supreme Court are selected in statewide partisan elections. The elected justices serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[27]
Qualifications
To serve on the Supreme Court, a justice must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 35 and 75;[28][29] and
- a practicing lawyer and/or justice for at least 10 years.[27]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court is selected by voters at large. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[27]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement who must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election, in which he or she may compete to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.[27]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
|
Candidate Texas Supreme Court Place 7 |
Officeholder Texas Supreme Court Place 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Texas Tribune, "Perry Taps Chief of Staff for Texas Supreme Court," November 26, 2012
- ↑ We calculated confidence scores by collecting several data points such as party registration, donations, and previous political campaigns.
- ↑ The five possible confidence scores were: Strong Democrat, Mild Democrat, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
- ↑ Facebook, "Justice Jeff Boyd, About," accessed January 21, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Texas Judicial Branch, "Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd," accessed August 2, 2021
- ↑ State Bar of Texas, "Find a Lawyer, Mr. Jeffrey S. Boyd," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Justice Jeff Boyd, "Meet Jeff Boyd," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)," accessed August 2, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "2014 General Election," November 4, 2014
- ↑ State Bar of Texas "Judicial Poll Results," accessed August 2, 2021
- ↑ Center for American Progress, "The Million Dollar Judges of 2012," January 15, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 The Texas Tribune, "Texans for Jeff Boyd," accessed January 22, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "finance" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Justice Jeff Boyd, "News, Justice Jeff Boyd Files for Election to Texas Supreme Court," November 12, 2013
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Texans for Jeff Boyd, January Semi-Annual Report," January 15, 2014
- ↑ Texas Hospital Association, "Texas Hospital Association PAC Campaign Endorsements," January 21, 2014
- ↑ The Texas Restaurant Association Blog, "Primary election features several hotly contested races," February 4, 2014
- ↑ Texas Right to Life, "Texas Right to Life begins 2014 endorsement process," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Texas Judges, "Homepage," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Texas Civil Justice League, "TCJL PAC Endorsements and Press," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ The seven factors were party registration, donations made to partisan candidates, donations made to political parties, donations received from political parties or bodies with clear political affiliation, participation in political campaigns, the partisanship of the body responsible for appointing the justice, and state trifecta status when the justice joined the court.
- ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 Governing, "Court makes it easier for companies to keep government contracts secret in Texas," September 25, 2015
- ↑ The Supreme Court of Texas, "Phillips v. Bramlett (12-0257)," archived June 20, 2013
- ↑ Justia US Law, "Coinmach v. Aspenwood Corp. (11-0213)," accessed August 3, 2021
- ↑ Find Law, "Texas Coast Utilities Coalition v. Railroad Commission of Texas and Centerpoint Energy Resources Corp., No. 12-0102," January 17, 2014
- ↑ The Supreme Court of Texas Blog, "Opinions in four cases (Jan. 17, 2014)," January 17, 2014
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ While no justice older than 74 may run for office, sitting justices who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
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