In a unanimous decision issued last month in In re Dallas County, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals was created in 2023 when the Texas Legislature passed S.B. 1045. The court is vested with exclusive, statewide jurisdiction over appeals from the Texas Business Court as well as appeals involving the State of Texas. In its opinion, the Texas Supreme Court considered the relevant constitutional text as well as the history and tradition underlying the state constitution; it then determined that the legislature had not exceeded its authority in enacting S.B. 1045 and establishing the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. Texas’ Business Court is now in full swing and began to hear cases on September 1, 2024.
The Texas Supreme Court’s full opinion in In re Dallas County can be found here.
Thank you to Lee Applebaum for bringing this to our attention.
Posted by Doug Toering and Matt Rose of Mantese Honigman, P.C.
