Published: November 02, 2009 12:09 am      

Wright named Chief Justice, Dallas Court of Appeals

By John Browning

Special to the Herald-Banner

On Oct. 23, Gov. Rick Perry appointed the Hon. Carolyn Wright Chief Justice of the Dallas Court of Appeals effective Oct. 31.

In succeeding Linda Thomas, Chief Justice Wright becomes the first African-American to serve as chief justice of any intermediate appellate court in Texas.

Wright, a resident of Heath, has been an associate justice on the court since her 1995 appointment by then-Gov. George W. Bush.

Wright’s career path has paralleled that of her predecessor. When Thomas left Dallas’ 256th District Court upon her election to the Court of Appeals in 1986, Wright was elected to that family court to replace Thomas. After Thomas assumed the position of chief justice in 1995, Wright followed in her footsteps once again with the appointment as an associate justice.

Chief Justice Wright has had a career marked by a number of firsts. A fourth-generation Texan and graduate of Howard University Law School, Wright was the first African-American woman to win a multi-county election for any elected office in Texas. Wright’s reaction to the historic appointment was typically modest.

“It’s really very humbling and personally gratifying to be rewarded like this after almost 25 years in the judiciary,” she said.

Wright’s goals for her new position include introducing electronic filing and other technological improvements to increase the efficiency of the court, which hears appeals from trial courts throughout a six-county area: Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Rockwall, Hunt, and Kaufman counties.

“My goal is always to further the cause of justice,” says the longtime Rockwall County resident.

Chief Justice Wright’s appointment will expire after the 2010 general election. She is expected to run for election to her post in that race.