Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 4

Walter E. Jordan (1981 to 1986)

Walter E. Jordan was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 1918.  He received his B.A. from the University of Oklahoma in 1942 and his LL.B. from the University of Texas in 1947.  During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force.  After graduating from law school, he served two years as the City Attorney of Grand Prairie, Texas.  He moved to Fort Worth and entered a private law practice from 1951 to 1963.

Jordan entered judicial service when he was appointed by Governor John Connally as judge of the 48th District Court in Tarrant County.  Jordan served in this role from 1963 to 1981.  In 1970, he won the State Bar of Texas’s President’s Award, which recognizes exceptional service to the legal profession and the public.  In 1981, he was appointed by Governor Bill Clements to the Second Court of Appeals, where he served until his retirement in 1986.  

In addition to his judicial service, Jordan authored several books on litigation practice, including Jury Selection and Texas Trial Handbook 2d.  He passed away in 1988.