Blacklock is replacing retired Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, while Abbott's legal adviser James Sullivan takes the open spot on the bench.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) appointed Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of the governor, to serve as the chief justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Blacklock will replace Nathan Hecht, the state court’s longest-serving justice,

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has named Justice Jimmy Blacklock as the next chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, ending months of speculation about who will lead the state’s highest civil court.

Governor Abbott appoints Jimmy Blacklock as Chief Justice and James P. Sullivan as Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, raised a farmer, didn’t expect to be a lawyer, let alone a member of the state’s highest civil court.

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Justice Jimmy Blacklock as the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, succeeding Nathan Hecht.

Abbott originally appointed Blacklock to the high court as the Place 2 justice in 2018. Abbott's general counsel James Sullivan will replace Blacklock as a new justice.