Abbott fills high court seat
Republican Huddle has been on appeals court
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that he has selected former appellate court judge Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle, a Republican, to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.
Abbott announced the appointment to the highest civil court in Texas at a news conference at Austin High School in El Paso, Huddle’s alma mater.
The vacancy was created by Judge Paul Green, who retired in July after 15 years on the bench.
The native El Pasoan will serve through the end of 2022 and then face re-election.
“I’m confident that Rebeca Huddle will be a shining example of what a justice on the Supreme Court of Texas can be and will be,” Abbott said. “I know that Rebeca will faithfully defend the constitution and will go to work every single day for the people of Texas.”
Huddle joins the all-republican court as the fourth woman and second Latina on the bench.
“It is a tremendous honor to serve the people of our state as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court,” Huddle said. “I am deeply grateful for the trust, Gov. Abbott, you have placed in me by appointing me to do this important work.”
She added that the appointment was a special way to end Hispanic Heritage Month.
Huddle comes to the court from a private practice: A partner in charge of the Baker Botts law firm’s Houston office, she practices in the areas of commercial litigation and appeals, her bio on the company website states.
Previously, Huddle served as a judge on the First Court of Appeals, to which she first was appointed in 2011by Gov. Rick Perry. Shewas elected in 2012 but retired from the bench in 2017 before her term would have expired in 2018.
She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a law degree from the University of Texas, where she graduated with honors. She’s a member of the State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association and Mexican American Bar Association of Houston.
Texas Latino Conservatives celebrated Huddle’s appointment in a statement Thursday.
“Ms. Huddle’s Hispanic heritage illustrates thepower and potential of the conservative Latino community,” the statement read. “She will be a strong addition to the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Latino Conservatives looks forward to her long career on the court protecting the rights of Texans.”
The Texas Democrats took the opportunity to knock Abbott for appointing a judge who retired just a week after the deadline for his replacement to be on this November’s ballot. Four seats are up for reelection this fall.
“Democracy must reign supreme in Texas,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement. “The people should choose their justices, not Greg Abbott. We’ll have a chance to choose all four of them in November.”