In the News

There are any number of ways to pick good judges, bad judges and those not-quite-rare-enough WTF judges, and none of those selection methods is foolproof. Texas elects judges, relying on voters to sort through pages and pages of ballot undergrowth, figuring out which candidates are fit to put on the judicial robes. It’s a grab bag, evidenced whenever a party sweep clears a courthouse full of incumbents.

In one notable personal injury case, a medical provider billed more than $14,000 for a procedure that’s typically reimbursed by insurance at less than $400. Grossly inflated claims are costing the industry dearly and in some cases are driving trucking companies out of the marketplace because they can no longer afford insurance.

Texas is one of only six states in the country that holds partisan judicial elections. With more than 1,000 elected judges at all levels of the judiciary, it is often difficult for voters to make informed decisions about these races. As a result, many decisions in judicial races are based on party affiliation position on the ballot or a candidate’s name. This has led to partisan sweeps in recent years, with many talented judges in both major parties losing at the ballot.

Last January, an appellate court heard arguments on whether ExxonMobil can use Texas courts to pursue counter-litigation against the public officials and private lawyers who teamed up to sue the oil industry in California over the alleged effects of climate change.  And although a year has already elapsed without a ruling, that doesn’t mean the case has come to a complete standstill.

One day in 2011, Dave Pebley and his wife were in their motor home on the side of the highway with a flat tire when a big rig slammed into them. The jolt sent Mr. Pebley to the hospital with injuries to his face, neck and lower back. The California resident sued the driver and his employer. But instead of using his Kaiser health insurance to continue treatment, Mr. Pebley enlisted medical specialists who treated him for no upfront cost. Instead, they agreed to recoup their fees only once his lawsuit resolved.

“These lawyers are just having a field day going after big trucking companies. The bigger the company the more they go after,” Royal Jones, CEO of Mesilla Valley Transportation, said.

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht is running for his last term on the high court. But if elected, he could only serve four of the six-year term, which runs 2021 to 2027. The reason: The Texas Constitution sets an age limit of 75 years to serve as a judge or justice of an appellate or district court in the Lone Star State.

All but one member of the new Texas Commission on Judicial Selection indicated at the group’s first meeting Thursday that they believe partisanship is problematic in the state’s method of selecting judges.

Facebook has started removing misleading ads about an HIV prevention medication after backlash from LGBTQ activists and politicians. The ads in question were purchased by pages from personal injury lawyers and linked drugs designed to stop the spread of HIV, like Truvada and PrEP, with bone and kidney damage. The ads urged users to join a lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer. LGBTQ advocates say the ads’ claims are false.

Odds are good you don’t know Judge Dimple. But odds are equally good you’ve seen her roadside campaign signs among those cropping up as the landscape morphs from festive holiday decorations to highway-unbeautifying political signage. The campaign sign business is simple: catchy name, catchy typeface, catchy catchphrase, anything that can catch the eye in the fleeting glimpse of a passerby.