Coale Mind

Are "Business Courts" Acceptable Under the Texas State Constitution?

March 26, 2023 David Coale Season 3 Episode 8
Coale Mind
Are "Business Courts" Acceptable Under the Texas State Constitution?
Show Notes

This episode examines arguments for why the proposed new system of business courts may not pass muster under Texas' state constitution. 

Specifically, it examines the constitutionality of appointing trial-level judges, and of creating a new "Fifteenth Court of Appeals" with statewide jurisdiction over one specific type of questions.

It  reviews whether this structure is consistent with an "originalist" understanding of Texas' Reconstruction-era constitution and its vision of highly decentralized state government. 

The episode concludes by asking whether it really advances the stated goal of "certainty" in Texas business law to create a new court system whose constitutional legitimacy is sure to be challenged.