A conversation with The Honorable Nathan Hecht and The Honorable Wallace Jefferson, former Chief Justices of the Texas Supreme Court, moderated by professor of practice and Texas Tribune co-founder Evan Smith. Register here.
Nathan L. Hecht was the 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He was elected to the Court seven times, first in 1988 as a Justice, and in 2014 and 2020 as Chief Justice. He was the longest-serving Member of the Court in Texas history and the longest-tenured Texas judge in active service.
Throughout his service on the Court, he has overseen revisions to the rules of administration, practice, and procedure in Texas courts, and was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to the federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. He was also active in the Court’s efforts to assure that Texans living below the poverty level, as well as others with limited means, have access to basic civil legal services.
Chief Justice Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and was elected to the court of appeals in 1986. Before taking the bench, he was a partner in the Locke firm in Dallas. He holds a B.A. degree with honors in philosophy from Yale University, and a J.D. degree cum laude from the SMU School of Law, where he was a Hatton W. Sumners Scholar. He clerked for Judge Roger Robb on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. He is a Past President of the national Conference of Chief Justices, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Life Member of the American Law Institute and a member of Council, and a member of the Texas Philosophical Society. He retired in 2024.
Wallace B. Jefferson is Co-Chair of the firm’s Texas Supreme Court and State Appellate Practice. Prior to joining Alexander Dubose & Jefferson in 2013, he served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Appointed to the Supreme Court in 2001 and named Chief Justice in 2004, Jefferson made Texas history as the Court’s first African American Justice and Chief Justice. He has successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He led the Court’s efforts to fund access to justice programs; helped reform juvenile justice; and inaugurated a statewide electronic filing system for Texas courts. During his time on the bench, Jefferson was elected President of the Conference of Chief Justices, an association of chief justices from the 50 states and U.S. territories.
A graduate of the James Madison College at Michigan State University and The University of Texas School of Law, Jefferson is the namesake for Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School in San Antonio. He is Chair of the Texas Commission to Expand Civil Legal Services, serves on the Board of the by-invitation-only American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and is a Council member of the of American Law Institute. Jefferson is also a member of the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection and serves on the Board of the Project on Government Oversight and Lexitas. Jefferson has been certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1993.
Jefferson has been honored with the 2014 Texas Center for Legal Ethics Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award, honoring a judge or attorney who personifies the highest standards of the legal profession; the 2014 Texas Appleseed J. Chrys Dougherty Good Apple Award because of his leadership in seeking equality for all Texans, especially the less fortunate; and the 2015 Anti-Defamation League Austin Jurisprudence Award, honoring an outstanding member of the legal community who exhibits a commitment to equality, justice, fairness, and community service. Jefferson was named 2014 Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference, and was honored with the 2016 Presidential Citation Award from The University of Texas. This award recognizes extraordinary contributions of individuals who personify the university’s commitment to transforming lives.
He is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2015-2024), Best Lawyers in America (2016-2025), and Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters (2015-2024).