Jimmy Blacklock
Republican · TX · Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas
Jimmy Blacklock has served on the Texas Supreme Court since 2018 and became chief justice in 2025. A UT-Austin and Yale Law graduate, he clerked on the Fifth Circuit, worked at Vinson & Elkins and the Justice Department, and was the governor's general counsel.
Where Jimmy Blacklock stands, based on their records
Supports
Civil Rights (1 record)
Campaign finance information not available
Track record
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 1 support
Authored a May 2020 concurring opinion questioning the constitutionality of government COVID-19 emergency orders, writing that tolerating unconstitutional orders during an emergency abandons the Constitution when it is needed most.
May 1, 2020Supports Civil Rights
Source: en.wikipedia.org · researched July 3, 2026
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 4 favorable
Filed a September 26, 2024 concurring opinion explaining that Texas had not shown entitlement to emergency relief requiring the privately operated State Fair to allow handguns, because the State had not argued that Texas law prohibited the Fair's firearms policy.
September 26, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: txcourts.gov · researched July 12, 2026
Filed a June 28, 2024 concurrence in Hensley v. State Commission on Judicial Conduct arguing that the court should reach the merits of a judge's Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act claim concerning officiating same-sex weddings.
June 28, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: txcourts.gov · researched July 12, 2026
Wrote the Texas Supreme Court's August 2021 opinion holding that the Texas Constitution authorizes each legislative chamber to compel the attendance of absent members — including by physical compulsion — issued after Texas House Democrats fled the state to break quorum over an elections bill.
August 1, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: en.wikipedia.org · researched July 3, 2026
Authored a May 2020 concurring opinion questioning the constitutionality of government COVID-19 emergency orders, writing that tolerating unconstitutional orders during an emergency abandons the Constitution when it is needed most.
May 1, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: en.wikipedia.org · researched July 3, 2026
Race Jimmy Blacklock is in:
- Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas · November 3, 2026 · Texas · incumbent
Profile last researched August 7, 2026.