Governor Perry Appoints Johnson to Texas Supreme Court

Governor Rick Perry restored the Texas Supreme Court to full strength on March 15, 2005, with the appointment of Chief Justice Phil Johnson of the Amarillo Court of Appeals. Johnson, 60, succeeds Justice Mike Schneider who resigned from the court in September 2004 to accept an appointment by President Bush to the U.S. District Court in Tyler.

Johnson has been regarded as a conservative and fair-minded jurist during his seven-year tenure on the Amarillo court, which he has led as chief since January 2003. Prior to becoming a judge, Johnson was a partner with Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam, the largest firm in Lubbock, where he worked as a trial lawyer, representing primarily defendants in both personal injury and commercial litigation.

Johnson, a Lubbock native, will become the first West Texan to serve on the court in a number of years and the court’s first-ever graduate of Texas Tech University, from which he received undergraduate and law degrees in 1965 and 1975, respectively. A decorated Vietnam veteran, Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1972, earning the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and RVN Cross of Gallantry.

Senate confirmation of Johnson’s appointment is likely to occur in the next couple of weeks. Johnson is expected to stand for election in 2006 to serve out the remainder of Justice Schneider’s term, which expires at the end of 2008.