Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 2

Bill Meier (2009 to 2018)

Bill Meier was born on August 1, 1940, in Waco, Texas.  After graduating high school, he worked in the Owens-Illinois Company factory with his father.  He attended Tarleton State Junior College on a basketball scholarship, graduating in 1961.  He then enrolled at The University of Texas, where he earned his Bachelor of Science and LL.B. degrees.

After law school, he worked in the Trust Department at the Republic Bank in Dallas.  He then took a position with the Dallas Legal Services Project as the first public defender in Dallas County.  After two years, he joined the firm of White, McElroy & White in Dallas.  A year later, he moved to Fort Worth to practice law as a named partner at Campbell, Beadles, Wood & Meier.

He entered public life in 1972 when he successfully ran for the state senate.  He served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee in 1974 during the Texas Constitutional Convention.  Meier is known for giving the longest filibuster in United States history, speaking for 43 hours straight in 1977.  In 1982, he attempted to run for statewide office, campaigning unsuccessfully for Texas Attorney General.  Meier ended his tenure in the senate after 10 years in 1983.

After leaving the senate, Meier established a solo legal practice in Bedford, Texas.  In 2008, he successfully ran for an open seat on the Second Court of Appeals, where he served until 2018.  When he retired at age 78, he was one of the oldest active jurists in the state.  During his time on the court, he wrote approximately 125 opinions per year.