Justice Linda B. Thomas retiring after 31 years
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In addition to continuing her legal career, Justice Thomas will also continue teaching at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, where she is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law.
The long-time member of the state's judiciary began her public service in 1978 after being elected judge of the 256th District Court in Dallas, a family court. After serving two terms, she was elected in 1986 to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas. In 1995, she was elected to and became Chief Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeals. She was the first female in the more than 100-year history of the court to hold this position.
John Cayce, Chief Justice of the Second District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth hailed Justice Thomas for her years of service on behalf of the people of Texas. "No one has given and sacrificed more for the good of this state and its judiciary than Chief Justice Thomas," he said.
The recognition Justice Thomas has received over the years gives credence to Justice Cayce's comments. She has been honored many times during her judicial career. She earned the Sam Emison Award in 1990 for her contributions to family law, the Dallas Bar Foundation Fellows Award in 2005 for her distinguished legal career and civic contributions, the Maura Award in 2004 recognizing her contributions toward improving the lives of women and children and the Outstanding Profile Award in 2005 for mentoring and support of individuals pursuing public service endeavors.
Justice Thomas earned her bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Arlington and her law degree from Southern Methodist University. She is a former UTA Distinguished Alumni award winner and just last year was named Distinguished Alumni Award for Judicial Service winner from SMU's law school.
