This Chronicle story reports on the bloodier than normal confirmation of Scott Brister as a new justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Justice Brister got 19 votes in the Texas Senate, exactly the two-thirds majority necessary to be confirmed. Nine Democratic senators voted against him, including Houston senators Rodney Ellis, Mario Gallegos and John Whitmire.
Justice Brister was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry last November to a vacancy on the Supreme Court. At the time of his appointment, Justice Brister was serving on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals, where he was chief justice. Justice Brister also served on Houston’s other intermediate appellate court — the 1st Court of Appeals — and was a judge for the 234th District Court in Harris County for 11 years.
Despite the divisive politics involved in his confirmation, Justice Brister has a fine reputation among the Houston bar as a jurist, and he will be a valuable addition to the Supreme Court.