Second Court of Appeals

Chief Justice

John Hill Cayce III (1995 to 2009)

John Hill Cayce III was born on March 17, 1953, in Rochester, Minnesota.  In 1971, he enrolled at Abilene Christian University to play football, but he left after suffering an injury during his first semester.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Naval Construction Force, better known as the Navy Seabees, during the Vietnam conflict.  After leaving the navy, he returned to school and earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1978, graduating summa cum laude.  He then enrolled at St. Mary’s University School of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the St. Mary’s Law Journal before receiving his law degree in 1982.

After finishing law school, Cayce served as a briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, working for Justice Charles Barrow.  Following his clerkship, he moved to Fort Worth to practice trial and appellate law with McDonald, Sanders, Ginsburg, Maddox, Newkirk, and Day, LLP.  In 1987, he became a partner at Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP, where he practiced before successfully running for election as Chief Justice of the Second Court of Appeals in 1994.  When he took office, he was—at age 41—the youngest Chief Justice in the court’s history.

Cayce served as Chief Justice until 2009, when he left the bench to return to private practice.  Currently, he is a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP.  He also sits as a visiting judge throughout the state and serves as an arbitrator and mediator.

As one of the most respected appellate lawyers in Texas, Cayce has received numerous awards and accolades.  Throughout his career, he has actively served and advised the Texas legal profession and judiciary in many capacities, including as a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, the Texas Judicial Council, the Civil Appellate Law Advisory Commission, and the Texas Board of Law Examiners.