SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 796
         WHEREAS, Clifton L. Holmes of Longview is retiring from the
  firm of Holmes and Moore on May 18, 2017, drawing to a close a
  noteworthy legal career that has spanned a half century; and
         WHEREAS, A native of Kilgore, "Scrappy" Holmes completed
  his bachelor's degree in economics at The University of Texas at
  Austin and went on to graduate cum laude from George Washington
  University National Law Center; he established a reputation as
  one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Texas, and he has
  successfully defended clients facing the death penalty in both
  state and federal courts; and
         WHEREAS, Dedicated to his profession, Mr. Holmes has
  served the legal community in a number of leadership roles; he
  was a director of the State Bar of Texas and chair of the
  organization's Criminal Justice Section, Special Committee on
  Death Row Representation, and Standing Committee on Penal Code
  and Code of Criminal Procedure; in addition, he served as
  president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, as
  chair of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, and as a
  trustee of the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation; he was
  editor of Voice for the Defense, and since 1976 he has been a
  member of the faculty of the Texas Criminal Trial Advocacy
  Institute; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Holmes was inducted into the Texas Criminal
  Defense Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2007, and he has been named as a
  Texas Super Lawyer in multiple years; in 1992, Secretary of State
  John Hannah designated him as an official Texas Hero; moreover,
  Mr. Holmes was selected as Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer
  of the Year for 1996 by the Texas Criminal Justice Section of the
  State Bar, and he was twice ranked among the Top Five Go-To
  Lawyers in Texas by Texas Lawyer magazine; in all his endeavors,
  he has enjoyed the love and support of his wife, Laqueta, and
  their children, Nikki, Lacy, Shelly, and Bryan; and
         WHEREAS, Over the course of his long and distinguished
  career, Scrappy Holmes has earned the respect and admiration of
  innumerable people, and as he embarks on the next exciting
  chapter of his life, he may indeed reflect with pride on his
  achievements; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
  Legislature, hereby congratulate Clifton "Scrappy" Holmes on his
  retirement and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future;
  and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  Mr. Holmes as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
  Hughes
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on May 16, 2017.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate