One of Texas’ best is making the federal leap. Thursday, Trump nominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to an administrative official.
Willett, a good-humored Constitutional conservative, was rumored to have made Trump’s Supreme Court Justice short list.
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett was cited by Trump as a potential U.S. Supreme court pick during his presidential campaign. Dallas appellate lawyer James Ho is a former Texas solicitor general who has argued cases before state and federal courts.Willett — a prolific Twitter user whose wit with more than 96,000 followers and the title of Texas “Tweeter Laureate” –had gently mocked Trump in some tweets during the campaign for the White House.Among them was a haiku suggesting the thought of Trump’s potential U.S. Supreme Court picks would make one weep. But when President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the nation’s highest court, Willett tweeted that he was a “superb jurist.”Willett often praises his mother, who supported the family by waiting tables at a truck stop after his father died when Willett was 6 years old. The widow waited tables at a truck struck. Willett graduated from Baylor University, then received his law degree and a master’s degree in political science from Duke.He worked for George W. Bush in the governor’s office and in the White House, then worked for then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, now the state’s governor. He initially was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by then-Gov. Rick Perry, and since has been re-elected.
Justice Willett’s Twitter feed is one of the best on the platform, full of Constitutional, Texas, and otherwise geeky humor. It’s quite difficult to pair down some of his best, but here we are:
Also reportedly nominated, former Texas Solicitor General, James Ho. Express-News ctd:
Ho, a naturalized U.S. citizen, moved to this country with his family from Taiwan when he was a young child. He received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his law degree from the University of Chicago School of Law.A former state solicitor general, Ho also clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; helped lead the civil rights division of the Justice Department under George W. Bush; and has a reputation as a big gun in his private appellate practice.
Congrats, Justice Willett! Wishing you a speedy, hassle-free nomination process.
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