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PROFILES [from the court's website as of 9/9/09]
Chief Justice Jim R. Wright
Place 1
Chief Justice Jim R. Wright resides at Lake Leon near Eastland and Ranger, Texas, with
wife, Pat. They have seven children/step-children and thirteen grandchildren/
step-grandchildren.
Judge Wright graduated from Eastland High School in 1964. He received his undergraduate
degree, BBA with concentration in accounting, from North Texas State University in Denton,
Texas. While at North Texas, he was elected into membership of national honor fraternity
for accounting. He also served as a teaching assistant for beginning accounting classes
while at North Texas.
Judge Wright received his degree of Juris Doctor, ranking third in his class, from Texas
Tech University School of Law in December 1971. He served as teaching assistant for
undergraduate business law classes while in Tech law school. Also while at Tech law
school, he served as research assistant for oil and gas law professor. Judge Wright was
named as "Outstanding Scholar" by Delta Theta Phi, a legal fraternity. Both during law
school and after graduation, he was employed by Wagonseller and Cobb, a Lubbock law
firm.
Judge Wright practiced law in Eastland, Texas, from July 1972 until December 1979, at
which time Governor Clements appointed him Judge of the 91st District Court in Eastland,
Texas. He served as District Court Judge continuously until March 1995, when Governor
Bush appointed Judge Wright to serve as Justice of the 11th Court of Appeals. In
September 2005, Governor Perry appointed Judge Wright to serve as Chief Justice, where
he is still serving in that capacity.
Judge Wright served several terms on the district admissions committee for the State Bar of
Texas, was elected to membership of the Texas Bar Foundation, and Order of the Coif. He
received the "Golden Deeds" award from the Eastland Chamber of Commerce.
Justice Rick Strange
Place 2
Judge Rick Strange lives in Midland, Texas with his wife Carole. Carole teaches math at
Trinity High School in Midland. They have two children: Katie, a sophomore at Hardin
Simmons University, and Susan, a senior at Trinity High School.
Judge Strange grew up in Floydada, Texas. He earned a BBA in Accounting from
Hardin-Simmons University. While in college, he was a member of the Cowboy Band,
Student Congress, lettered three years on the University's Orienteering Team, and
graduated from US Army Jump School and Ranger School.
Judge Strange attended Law School at the University of Texas. He was a member of Phi
Alpha Delta and served on the Review of Litigation. He graduated with Honors in 1985.
Judge Strange moved to Midland in 1985 and went to work for Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe and
Dawson. He became a partner in 1991 and at the time of his appointment to the Court of
Appeals, was head of the firm's litigation section. He is board certified in Civil Trial Law and
Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law.
Judge Strange is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, has been a member of the Legal
Services for Low Income Texans Committee for several years, and has served on the Texas
Equal Access to Justice Commission's Legislative Committee. He is also a member of the
Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission and is a Trustee on the Hardin Simmons
University Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the 11th Court of Appeals by Governor
Perry in October, 2005.
Justice Terry McCall
Place 3
Justice Terry McCall was elected to the 11th Court of Appeals in 1998. He and his wife,
Quay, live on their ranch in Comanche County. Justice McCall is currently serving his
second term on the Court.
After serving two years as an active U.S. Army Reserve officer, Justice McCall began his
career with Baker & Botts in Houston where he specialized in corporate finance. He left the
law firm to become executive vice president of a computer timesharing company. Later, he
was general counsel, vice-president of finance, and then senior vice-president of Alaska
Interstate Company, a New York Stock Exchange company that owned manufacturing
companies, C & K Petroleum Company, McAlester Fuel Company of Oklahoma, and
Anchorage Natural Gas Company.
In 1980, Justice McCall formed McCall Industries by purchasing the manufacturing
companies of Alaska Interstate Company. After selling those companies in 1992, he had
planned to limit his activities to ranching. However, he also became county attorney for
Comanche County. Subsequently, Justice McCall also established an appellate practice
before the Eastland, Austin, and Fort Worth courts of appeal.
Justice McCall attended the University of Texas where he was President of Phi Eta Sigma
and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. His degree was B.A., Plan II. He attended the University
of Texas Law School where he was a member of the Texas Law Review, Order of the Coif,
Chancellors, and Phi Delta Phi.
Justice McCall has served or is serving as President of the Texas Forts Trail Association;
member of the Board of Directors, Boy Scouts Chisholm Trail and Texas Trail; member of
the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers
Association; member of Higginbotham Bros., Inc., Board of Directors; President, 220th
Judicial District Bar Association; Texas Bar Foundation Fellow; President of the Appellate
Section of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas.