As a member of the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, Jackson Walker partner Chip Babcock spoke with Texas Lawyer about the Commission’s sanction against Judge Ursula Hall, who presides over Harris County’s 165th District Court. Hall appealed the sanction to the Texas Supreme Court, which will appoint a special court of review to hold a new trial over the judicial grievance.

“The judge is not happy with the ruling,” Chip said. “By and large, there was no motion pending before her to rule on. As for the recusal motion, it was never presented to her until the day that she ruled. She didn’t know about it until the day she ruled. When she knew about it, she ruled right away.”

To read more, view the Texas Lawyer article “‘The Judge Is Not Happy’: Houston Jurist Sanctioned for Not Ruling on Discovery Motions” (subscription required).

Meet Chip

Houston partner Charles L. Babcock is a nationally recognized trial and appellate attorney. Chip’s practice experience includes bet-the-company litigation, First Amendment litigation, commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, government investigations, media litigation, and appellate litigation. In addition to receiving the Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation, Chip has been named a “25 Greatest Texas Lawyer of the Past Quarter Century” by Texas Lawyer and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.