89S21369 KRT-D
 
  By: Hughes S.R. No. 84
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The retirement of James T. "Jim" Worthen as chief
  justice of the Twelfth Court of Appeals in Tyler on December 31,
  2026, will conclude his remarkable 27-year tenure as a jurist; and
         WHEREAS, Chief Justice Worthen first joined the court in
  1999, and he became chief justice in 2003; before taking the bench,
  he practiced law in Tyler with the firms of Sammons and Parker and
  Bain, Files, Worthen and Jarrett, P.C.; and
         WHEREAS, Active in his professional community, Chief Justice
  Worthen has held the office of chair for the Council of Chief
  Justices, and he has served on the Texas Bar Journal Board of
  Editors Committee and the Law Library Committee of the Smith County
  Bar Association; he is also a member of the American Bar
  Association, a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a
  Charter Fellow of the Smith County Bar Foundation; and
         WHEREAS, A seventh-generation Texan, Chief Justice Worthen
  grew up in Big Sandy; he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees
  from The University of Texas at Tyler, his juris doctor degree from
  South Texas College of Law, and his master of laws degree from the
  University of Virginia; he holds bar membership in the United
  States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the
  Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; and
         WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Chief Justice Worthen benefits
  from the love and support of his wife, Laura; and
         WHEREAS, Jim Worthen's dedication, integrity, and commitment
  to the law have greatly benefited the work of the Twelfth Court of
  Appeals, and he may indeed reflect with pride on his many years of
  service as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature, 2nd
  Called Session, hereby congratulate James T. Worthen on his
  retirement as chief justice of the Twelfth Court of Appeals and
  extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Chief Justice Worthen as an expression of high regard
  by the Texas Senate.