How the Supreme Court of Texas Operates Today

Transcript

1. Don Cruse Law Office of Don Cruse Blake Hawthorne Clerk of the Court UT Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals • June 15, 2018
2. Something old, something new
8. https://research.txcourts.gov
9. “Mastering the Court’s 
 internal operating 
 procedures…”
10. A motivation for this talk SCOTX IOPs, at 2
11. The latest* version of the IOPs is in your binder *Or maybe on the website: www.txcourts.gov/supreme
12. You can visit the calendar online. Or, there’s an easier option…
13. The “iCal/RSS” link lets your calendar software show upcoming conference dates
14. Motions to extend time are decided faster and with more certainty
15. It’s official: Post-submission and supplemental briefs do not require motions for leave
16. The Court is starting to have access to the appellate record immediately with your petition (You can see the same record through the new portal. And you probably should, to confirm it’s complete.)
19. Opinions in argued cases 
 are now issued on a deadline
22. 0 20 40 60 80 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 2018* 2017 2016 2015 When opinions are issued Excluding per curiams and “corrected” opinions *These graphs were created by Don Cruse from his own data
23. How Petitions Are Handled
24. Lawyers like to read the tea leaves
25. We all read the tea leaves
26. Petitions without responses: The“conveyor belt” rolls along, even when there are no conferences
27. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 2018* 2017 2016 The steady stream of petition-response requests Cumulative requests during each term *These graphs were created by Don Cruse from his own data
28. Petitions with responses: These are linked to 
 the conference schedule
29. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 2018* 2017 2016 When merits briefs are requested Cumulative requests during a term *These graphs were created by Don Cruse from his own data
30. From page 20 of the IOPs:
31. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 2018* 2017 2016 When merits briefs are requested Cumulative requests during a term *These graphs were created by Don Cruse from his own data
32. Petitions that have been 
 briefed on the merits: These are also linked to the 
 conference schedule
33. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 When decisions to “grant” are made (Grants in petitions for review only; excludes Rule 59.1 opinions) *These graphs were created by Don Cruse from his own data
34. The “Conclusion” Might Be Prologue
37. ⁂