Supreme Court Advisory Committee

About Us

The Supreme Court Advisory Committee (SCAC), first created in 1940 and periodically reconstituted since then, assists the Supreme Court in the continuing study, review, and development of rules of administration and procedure for Texas courts, taking into consideration the rules of other courts in the United States and proposals for changes from whatever source received. The Committee drafts rules as directed by the Court; solicits, summarizes, and reports to the Court the views of the bar and the public on court rules and procedures; and makes recommendations for change. Votes taken by the Committee are solely for informational purposes. The Committee's discussions and recommendations are advisory and not binding on the Court.

Committee meetings are held after public notice and are open to the public. A record is made of all Committee proceedings. Committee expenses are paid from funds appropriated by the Legislature or provided by the State Bar of Texas.

Members of the Committee are appointed by the Supreme Court, which from time to time determines their number, qualifications, and terms of service. A Chair appointed by the Court to serve at its pleasure calls meetings with the approval of the Court, prepares an agenda in advance of each meeting, and presides over the meetings. Proposals, drafts, and other materials to be discussed are provided at or before meetings.

Members

The following persons are appointed by orders of the Court (Misc. Docket No. 23-9110), to serve as members of the Committee until December 31, 2026:

Charles L. (Chip) Babcock IV, Houston
Hon. Bill Boyce, Houston
Hon. Harvey G. Brown, Houston
Hon. John Browning, Plano
Jerry Bullard, Grapevine
Prof. Elaine A. G. Carlson, Houston
Jack P. Carroll, Beaumont
Hon. Tracy E. Christopher, Houston
Hon. Nicholas Chu, Austin
Alistair B. Dawson, Houston
Hon. Ana E. Estevez, Amarillo
Hon. David L. Evans, Fort Worth
Victor Flores, Mission
L. Hayes Fuller III, Waco
Cynthia Barela Graham, Amarillo
Hon. Tom Gray, Waco
Marcy Greer, Austin
Rusty Hardin, Houston
Michael A. Hatchell, Austin
Lisa Bowlin Hobbs, Austin
Prof. Lonny S. Hoffman, Houston
Roger W. Hughes, Harlingen
Lamont Jefferson, San Antonio
Hon. Peter Michael Kelly, Houston
Hon. David Keltner, Fort Worth
John H. Kim, Houston
Robert L. Levy, Houston
Hon. Emily Miskel, McKinney
Richard R. Orsinger, San Antonio
Giana Ortiz, Arlington
Jim M. Perdue, Jr., Houston
Constance H. Pfeiffer, Houston
Richard B. Phillips, Jr., Dallas
Christopher D. Porter, Houston
Thomas C. Riney, Amarillo
Eduardo R. Rodriguez, Brownsville
Hon. Maria Salas Mendoza, El Paso
Hon. Robert Schaffer, Houston
Pete Schenkkan, Austin
Quentin Smith, Houston
Macey Reasoner Stokes, Houston
Kent C. Sullivan, Austin
Hon. R. H. Wallace, Jr., Fort Worth
Charles R. Watson, Jr., Austin
Kennon Wooten, Austin

Emeritus Members

The following person is appointed as an emeritus member of the Committee:

Professor William V. Dorsaneo III
Gilbert I. (Buddy) Low

Ex Officio Members

The following persons are appointed ex officio members of the Committee, to serve at the pleasure of the Court:

a member of the Court of Criminal Appeals designated by that Court
the Chair of the State Bar of Texas Court Rules Committee
Hon. Sharena Gilliland of Weatherford
Hon. John F. Warren of Dallas

Chair & Vice Chair

Charles L. (Chip) Babcock IV is appointed chairman of the Committee.

Document Repository

The Jackson Walker law firm maintains an online database of some documents related to SCAC, at http://scac.jw.com/.