Nathan L. Hecht

Nathan L. Hecht, 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, served 36 years as a member of the Court, longer than anyone in history. Elected to the Court seven times, he retired at the end of 2024 and is now a partner at the Jackson Walker law firm and a distinguished judicial fellow at NYU School of Law.

Hecht oversaw 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 also led 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.

Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and elected to the court of appeals in 1986. Before taking the bench, he was a partner at the Locke firm in Dallas. He holds a BA degree with honors in philosophy from Yale University, and a JD degree cum laude from the Southern Methodist University 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.