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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Justice Phil Johnson retired from the Texas Supreme |
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Court on December 31, 2018, drawing to a close an exemplary tenure |
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on the state's highest court that spanned 13 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Appointed by Governor Rick Perry in 2005, Justice |
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Johnson won admiration for his steadfast leadership; his knowledge |
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and wisdom were particularly crucial in cases involving the oil and |
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gas industry and the rights of landowners, and he excelled as a |
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liaison to the board of the State Bar; he previously served for |
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seven years on the Seventh Court of Appeals in Amarillo, winning |
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election as its chief justice in 2002; and |
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WHEREAS, Justice Johnson grew up in Lubbock and completed his |
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bachelor's degree in mathematics at Texas Tech University; during |
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the Vietnam War, he served in the U.S. Air Force, flying |
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fighter-bombers and then instructing student pilots; he attained |
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the rank of captain and received numerous decorations, among them |
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the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the |
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Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry; subsequently, he graduated with |
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honors from Texas Tech School of Law and joined the Lubbock firm of |
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Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam, where he became a partner; and |
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WHEREAS, Dedicated to the legal profession, Justice Johnson |
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has served on numerous State Bar of Texas committees, and he is a |
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former president of the Lubbock County Bar Association; a life |
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fellow of both the Texas and American Bar Foundations, he is also a |
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member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and the American Law |
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Institute; in addition, he has benefited the wider community |
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through his membership on the boards or supervising committees of |
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the Legal Aid Society of Lubbock, the Golden Spread Council of the |
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Boy Scouts of America, Kiwanis, Southwest Lighthouse for the Blind, |
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and other organizations; and |
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WHEREAS, Justice Phil Johnson has made enormous |
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contributions to Texas law, and in so doing, he has earned the |
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lasting respect and appreciation of his fellow citizens; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the Honorable Phil Johnson for his |
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outstanding service as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court and |
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extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Justice Johnson as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |