Court History

November 29, 1982, to January 4, 1985

 Andrew Jackson "Jack" Pope was born in Abilene, Texas on April 18, 1913. He graduated from public schools in Abilene, earned a BA degree from Abilene Christian College in 1934, and a law degree from the University of Texas in 1937 after having been the editor of the Texas Law Review. 

Pope moved to Corpus Christi where he started practicing law with his uncle, W.E. (Uncle Elmer) Pope. In 1945, Governor Coke Stevenson appointed him Judge of the 94th District Court. Then in 1960, Jack was elected to the Fourth Court of Civil Appeals in San Antonio and again elected in 1964 to the Texas Supreme Court. Governor Bill Clements appointed Judge Jack in 1982 as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, filling Chief Justice Greenhill's vacancy. His 38-year service is believed to be the longest service of any Judge who has served on Texas' highest court. There he worked for law reform, initiated new procedures for handling grievances against attorneys, changed venue rules, in many instances, two trials for one case, and promulgated the Texas Rule of Judicial Education. He got computer technology in all state appellate courts, wrote the first "Jury Handbook" which is given to those called to jury duty, sponsored the creation of the State Law Library, helped draft the first Judicial Code of Conduct and became a charter member of the Texas Center of Legal Ethics. As Chief Justice, he and others established a program (IOLTA) which provides legal service to over 100,000 poor families a year in civil matters like wrongful foreclosures, domestic violence and veterans who have not received their earned benefits. Governor Rick Perry in 2012 recognized him and the IOLTA program with the signing of the "Chief Justice Jack Pope Act." A testimony to dedication and hard work, he wrote 1032 opinions. No judge in Texas history ever wrote this much law. Legal scholars recognize Pope as the expert of his time on matters of water laws of Texas and southwestern states.

After Pope retired in January 1985, he developed the Pope Fellows at ACU, which gives scholarships to students interested in a career in public service. He was made Outstanding Alumnus at Abilene Christian University as well as The University of Texas School of Law. In 2010 the State Bar of Texas awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award. Pope was an incorporator of the Supreme Court Historical Society.  The Supreme Court Society published "Common Law Judge" in 2014. The book is a collection of essays, opinions and a biography.

He died in Austin, Texas on February 25, 2017.

Excerpted from the February 27, 2017 edition of the Austin American-Statesman.