Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 3

Anne Lancaster Gardner (2000 to 2016)

Anne Lancaster Gardner was born August 19, 1942, in Corpus Christi, Texas.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and then attended the University of Texas School of Law, where she was one of only 7 women in her graduating class of 371. 

After graduating from law school, Gardner clerked for U.S. District Judge Leo Brewster from 1967 to 1971.  She then entered private practice as a partner at Simon, Peebles, Haskell, Gardner & Betty, where she worked until 1984.  After working as a partner at McLean & Sanders for four years, she joined Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, where she was both a senior partner and chair of the firm’s appellate section.  In 2000, Governor George W. Bush appointed her to the Second Court of Appeals.  She served on the court until 2016, when she chose not to run for reelection.

Gardner served in many roles and received many accolades throughout her storied career.  She was the first woman president of the Tarrant County Bar Association, was recognized as the “Appellate Justice of the Year” by the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Lawyers in 2005, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the State Bar of Texas Judicial Section.  She was also an Emeritus Master of the Bench and founding member of the Eldon Mahon Inn of Court.  She died August 3, 2023, and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Fort Worth.