AUSTIN, Texas, April 29 (UPI) -- Texas' top judge announced Thursday he will step down after 16 years in the post.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips said he will leave in early September to join the faculty of the South Texas College of Law in Houston, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Phillips, the third-longest serving chief justice in Texas history, was the youngest chief judge in state history at 34 when he was appointed by Gov. Bill Clements in 1988. He was also the first Republican to hold the post since Reconstruction.
"I will always be proud of the Supreme Court of Texas and its accomplishments during my tenure," Phillips said at a statehouse news conference.
Phillips opposes the state's system of electing judges in partisan races. He failed last year to get the Legislature to switch to an appointment system with retention elections. He said Thursday he hopes "new leadership" can bring it about.
