Terry Jennings Justice,
1st Court of Appeals
Appellate Judge of the Year
The Honorable Terry Jennings, Justice on the First Court of Appeals, won his first race for public office in the year 2000 general election and took the Oath of Office on January 1, 2001, from Texas Supreme Court Justice Greg Abbott. Justice Jennings, a fourth-generation Texan, is a native of San Antonio and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in government and was a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society. He came to Houston in 1985 to attend the University of Houston Law Center, where he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Based on academic excellence, Justice Jennings served as an Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review, where he won the 1987 Outstanding Law Review Candidate of the Year award. He began his legal career practicing civil litigation with a well-respected Houston law firm. In 1990, Justice Jennings joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted criminal cases under the leadership of the legendary John B. Holmes, Jr. Beginning in the Trial Bureau, he gained first-chair jury trial experience prosecuting everything from drug to murder cases. In 1994, he was promoted to the Special Crimes Bureau, gaining extensive investigative and first-chair jury trial experience in complex white-collar crime cases, including engaging in organized crime, fraud, and intellectual property crimes. He also gained important experience in matters involving complex constitutional law issues. Justice Jennings and his wife, Elizabeth, are concerned with children's literacy and are members of the Friends of the Houston Public Library and the Friends of the Library - Kingwood.
Randy Wilson Judge,
157th District Court
Trial Judge of the Year
Judge Randy W. Wilson is a sixth generation Texan. He attended public school in Ft. Worth and received his B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1974 in Government. He was very active in intercollegiate debate at college. Judge Wilson attended law school at the University of Houston, where he graduated first in his class in 1977. He was an editor of the Houston Law Review and a member of the championship International Moot Court team. Following graduation from law school, Judge Wilson was a founding partner at Susman Godfrey L.L.P. where he remained until 2003. There, he handled a wide variety of commercial and personal injury disputes, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Judge Wilson has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Certification since 1988. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Wilson was selected as a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly and selected as one of America’s Leading General Commercial Litigators by Chambers USA Legal Directory, 2003-04. Since becoming a judge, he was selected as one of the top 500 judges in America by Lawdragon. Judge Wilson has been a frequent speaker at legal seminars on civil litigation. He is also active in the community. Judge Wilson is an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Houston. He was a member of the board of directors of the Star of Hope, where he also served as Vice-Chairman of the Board, Secretary and Chairman of the Development Committee. He previously was on the board and President of LifeHouse of Houston, a Christian maternity home. On March 26, 2003, Governor Rick Perry appointed Wilson as judge of the 157th District Court of Harris County. |
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