Supreme Court

Chief Justice Pope courageously and effectively championed equal access to justice for the poor, and his devotion to this noble cause continues to inspire.

Chief Justice Pope helped establish formal judicial education for Texas judges, fought for a voluntary judicial ethics code when judges had none, and fought again to make that code mandatory and enforceable.

Chief Justice Pope has shaped Texas law enormously, authoring some 1,032 judicial opinions before his retirement from the bench in 1985. He proudly claims the title common-law judge and continues to be held in the highest regard for his scholarly work.

Chief Justice Pope served more than 38 continuous years on the trial and appellate courts, the longest judicial tenure of any Texas Supreme Court Justice in history. He is the oldest living former state chief justice and research indicates, at 103, he is the oldest in history.

For his influence on the judicial system, and for his devotion to and improvement of the State of Texas for all Texans, the Supreme Court of Texas commends and honors its former Chief Justice, Jack Pope.

Therefore, the Supreme Court of Texas proclaims April 18, 2016, to be

Chief Justice Jack Pope Day