85R14869 BPG-D

By: Lambert H.R. No. 1625

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Texas legal community lost a true giant with the passing of former state supreme court chief justice Jack Pope of Austin on February 25, 2017, at the age of 103; and

WHEREAS, Born in Abilene on April 18, 1913, Andrew Jackson Pope Jr. was the son of Dr. A. J. Pope Sr. and Ruth Taylor Pope; he completed his bachelor's degree at Abilene Christian University and went on to graduate from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where he was editor of the Texas Law Review; on June 11, 1938, he married the former Allene Nichols, and they became the parents of two sons, A. J. and Allen; and

WHEREAS, Justice Pope joined his uncle's law firm in Corpus Christi but interrupted his career to serve as a U.S. Navy cryptographer during World War II; following his return, he was named judge of the 94th District Court, and in 1960, he won election to the Fourth Court of Civil Appeals; he was elected to the Texas Supreme Court four years later, and in 1982, he was appointed chief justice; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of his remarkable 38-year tenure on the bench, Justice Pope authored more than 1,000 opinions; many of them were landmark decisions, and he transformed Texas water law through his reassessment of the rights conveyed by Spanish and Mexican land grants; moreover, he carried out significant reforms to promote the integrity and efficiency of the legal system and to ensure equal access to justice; he was a founder of the Texas Center for the Judiciary, a judicial education institute, and he signed the order mandating formal education for judges; ten years after chairing the State Bar of Texas committee that drafted the first voluntary judicial code of conduct, he drafted the initial mandatory code, and he was a charter member of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics; and

WHEREAS, An innovator in a range of different areas, Justice Pope wrote the first handbook for citizens called to jury duty, and he sponsored the founding of the State Law Library; as chief justice, he guided the establishment of the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts Program, which funds civil legal aid to low-income Texans, and when the program was dramatically expanded in 2013, the enacted legislation was named the Chief Justice Jack Pope Act in his honor; he also won legislative support for statutory changes to thwart forum shopping for preferred judges; and

WHEREAS, Justice Pope received myriad accolades through the years, including a lifetime achievement award from the Judicial Section of the State Bar, Outstanding Alumnus honors from the UT School of Law and Abilene Christian University, and honorary degrees from a number of other colleges; for many years, he served as a trustee of ACU, and he developed the Jack Pope Fellows Program at the university to provide scholarships for students pursuing careers in public service; most of his library and papers are archived at the institution; and

WHEREAS, Following his retirement in 1985, Justice Pope helped incorporate the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, and in 2014 the society published Common Law Judge, a collection of his writings; he remained an avid outdoorsman, and after passing his 100th birthday, he still enjoyed taking walks around his neighborhood and Zilker Park; and

WHEREAS, Jack Pope left an indelible imprint on the Texas legal system, and those who were privileged to share in the richness of his life will forever cherish their memories of his wit, honesty, common sense, and profound dedication to justice for all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Jack Pope and extend sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Justice Jack Pope.