Last year–the calendar year from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024–was a productive year for the state’s highest civil court. By my count, the court disposed of 124 causes during the year. This is a significant increase above the court’s usual disposition rate. Some of the court’s production might be attributable to the departure

Mike Northrup
Mike Northrup is the chair of the appellate practice group at Cowles & Thompson, P.C. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a former Chair of the Appellate Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association. He is also a former briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas.
Practice Areas
- Civil Appeals
- Labor and Employment Law
- Insurance Law
- Municipal Law
Professional Associations
- Dallas Bar Association, Appellate Law Section
- Defense Research Institute
- College of the State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of Texas, Appellate Section
- Texas Aggie Bar Association
Education
- JD, Texas Tech University School of Law (1988)
- B.S., (Political Science), Texas A&M University (1985)
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Texas
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States District Court, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas
More Texas Supreme Court Data from 2023
I am late in getting these statistics from the 2023 calendar year posted, but as they say, better late than never.
Unanimity. One statistic that I have tracked in recent years is the number of unanimous opinions authored by a justice. This statistic may be an indicator that a justice works with his or…
Texas Supreme Court Statistics for 2023 are Here
- During the 2023 calendar year, the Texas Supreme Court disposed of 100
Citing to Electronic Databases in the Fort Worth Court of Appeals
For pending and unreported cases, the 20th Edition of The Bluebook calls for citation to the LEXIS or Westlaw electronic report of the case when one is available. But if you are in the Fort Worth Court of Appeals, you would be wise to use the citation to Westlaw if it is available.
The Fort…
Opinion vs. Memorandum Opinion: 2022 Statistics
I continue to track the statistics on the number of petitions for review granted by the Texas Supreme Court where the court of appeals wrote an “Opinion,” versus those where the court of appeals wrote a “Memorandum Opinion.” My prior years’ statistical analysis have dispelled the notion that if the court of appeals writes a…
Texas Supreme Court Statistics for 2022 are here
- During the 2022 calendar year, the Court disposed of 95 causes,
Resources on Superseding Texas State Court Judgments
I had the privilege and pleasure of speaking to the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Law Section on the subject of superseding judgments in Texas state courts. In connection with that continuing legal education presentation, I prepared a written paper and a powerpoint presentation. I am making those resources publicly available here:
Continuing Education on Superseding State Court Judgments
On Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 12:00pm, I have the pleasure of presenting a continuing education program to the Dallas Bar Appellate Law Section at the Arts District Mansion (2101 Ross).
I will be speaking on one of my favorite subjects, superseding judgments in Texas state courts. The presentation will focus on the basics…
Superseding a Judgment for an Interest in Property
In the case of a judgment for recovery of an interest in real or personal property, the trial judge must determine the amount of security required to suspend enforcement of the judgment during appeal. Texas Appellate Rule 24.2(a)(2) requires that the amount must be at least
(A) the value of the property interest’s rent or…
Miscellaneous Statistics from the Texas Supreme Court’s 2021 Dispositions
My review of the statistics from the Texas Supreme Court’s dispositions in 2021 brought an assortment of facts to the forefront that are worth highlighting.
- For the second year in a row, the court accepted a significantly higher number of petitions for writ of mandamus.
- As the number of petitions for writ of mandamus reviewed
…