Sally Montgomery

Won election to Dallas County Court at Law No. 3 on 2002-11-05 as a Democrat, after earlier serving one term as a Republican district judge. The Texas Observer reported she was the only Dallas Democrat to win any race that year.

November 5, 2002

Source: texasobserver.org

Had her refusal to dismiss a Mississippi truck-crash lawsuit overturned. The Dallas appeals court ordered dismissal because the crash, injured plaintiff and most witnesses were outside Texas, and Mississippi offered an adequate court for the claims.

February 2, 2026Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: cases.justia.com

Had two money sanctions against a lawyer and a contempt order overturned in an insurance lawsuit. The appeals court found no evidence of bad faith to support the sanctions and found that the lawyer had been denied proper notice and a chance to defend against contempt.

July 1, 2025Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: cases.justia.com

Had an insurance judgment for an injured motorist upheld, including medical damages, interest and attorney fees. The appeals court found sufficient evidence for the medical costs and upheld her decision that the fee award was fair.

August 28, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had her refusal to dismiss a sidewalk-injury lawsuit against Dallas County overturned. The appeals court found no evidence that the county knew the uneven sidewalk posed an unreasonable danger and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.

October 17, 2023Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had her refusal to force a client into arbitration with his former law firm upheld. The appeals court found evidence that a firm employee had misled the client about the document containing the arbitration agreement.

August 25, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Received a failing grade from lawyers in the Dallas Bar Association's judicial evaluation poll, as The Texas Lawbook reported on 2019-10-07. She was one of three Dallas civil judges given failing marks.

October 7, 2019Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: texaslawbook.net

Had her award of interest and court costs to a lawyer's former clients upheld. The appeals court found she properly awarded interest on fees the lawyer had to return after breaching his duty to the clients.

July 7, 2016Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had her refusal to dismiss a park-injury lawsuit against a landscape architect overturned. The appeals court found the injured visitor had not filed the required expert statement on time and dismissed her claims against the architect without blocking a new lawsuit.

June 19, 2015Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had a security-deposit judgment overturned because the landlord presented disputed facts that required a trial. The appeals court also upheld her decision that the landlord had properly appealed the earlier justice-court judgment.

August 5, 2014Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had part of an order compelling a company lawyer to testify overturned because it covered confidential legal communications and trial preparation. The appeals court allowed questioning about information he learned as corporate secretary.

December 3, 2013Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Issued a two-week order on 2012-10-19 barring anyone from a Dallas couple's property in their trespass and privacy suit against WFAA and a real estate blogger. At the hearing she told the station's lawyer, "I don't care what the law is."

October 19, 2012Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: dallas.culturemap.com

Had a Dallas appeals court direct her to change an order requiring Carroll Shelby and his company to revise sworn statements about a disputed business partnership. The court found that she had required admissions that Texas civil procedure did not allow.

September 23, 2009Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: case-law.vlex.com

Was overruled by the Texas Supreme Court on 2008-05-16 after she refused to send investors' WorldCom-loss lawsuit against Citigroup to arbitration. The court ruled Citigroup had not given up its right to arbitrate and ordered her to send the case there.

May 16, 2008Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Had the Dallas appeals court find that she wrongly transferred a rezoning lawsuit into her court without first establishing jurisdiction or related claims. The court denied an immediate order to undo the transfer because the parties could challenge it through a normal appeal.

April 2, 2007Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: case-law.vlex.com

Was removed from an asbestos wrongful-death case against Georgia-Pacific after the company won motions for a new trial and for her recusal, as reported on 2007-01-10. The report said she had not promptly told the company's lawyers about jurors' questions during the trial. Verdicts of $9.3 million and $13.6 million from her court had to be tried again before a new judge.

January 10, 2007Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: dallasobserver.com

Received approval from 35% of 689 lawyers in the Dallas Bar Association's judicial evaluation poll, reported on 2006-03-01. Only 33% said she showed adequate knowledge of the law. Three fellow county court judges averaged 90% approval.

March 1, 2006Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: dallasobserver.com

Was reported by the Texas Observer on 2006-02-10 to have been reversed in 10 of 19 rulings that appeals courts reviewed on the merits, based on Westlaw data. Her campaign website had said she was reversed only twice as a county judge. The magazine named her one of the worst judges in Texas.

February 10, 2006Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: texasobserver.org

Was overruled by the Texas Supreme Court on 2004-09-03 in a 5-4 decision (In re Prudential Insurance Co.). The court ordered her to honor a commercial lease's agreement to skip a jury trial, which she had refused to enforce.

September 3, 2004Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov