State Bar of Texas Podcast

TYLA's Young Gunners' SCOTX Series | Episode 1: A Conversation with Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock

State Bar of Texas Podcast

Show Notes

Order in the court!

Introducing a new series of TYLA’s Young Gunners podcast, spotlighting all nine justices of the Supreme Court of Texas! In these special episodes, TYLA President Hisham Masri, TYLA Immediate Past President Laura Pratt, and TYLA President-Elect Alyson Martinez speak with the SCOTX bench about their respective path to the high court, judicial philosophy, and advice for young attorneys navigating the legal profession.

We kick off this series with an interview with Justice Jimmy Blacklock, who was elevated to chief justice on January 6, 2025. In this episode, Chief Justice Blacklock shares how the principles of fatherhood and his deep-rooted faith have influenced not only his path to the judiciary but also the way he approaches leadership, decision-making, and the responsibilities of public office. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of character, calling, and the intersection of personal conviction with professional duty.

You can access this episode and our other episodes here: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

And tune in soon for our second episode where we speak with Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann, the longest-serving member on the court!

#tyla #younggunners #scotx #legalpodcast

More from State Bar of Texas Podcast

Oct 8, 2026

A jury summons in your mailbox often instills a feeling of dread, but is jury duty really as bad as people assume? Instead of trying to find a way out of this often-negatively cast public service, let’s flip the script and consider: How can you make the most of jury duty? As promised, Rocky Dhir returns with Judge Les Hatch and Cade Browning to take a closer look at the jury experience from the perspective of both jurors and the legal professionals who rely on them. They remind us about the right and privilege it is to serve jury duty as a citizen of this country and point out jurors’ essential role in our justice system.

Oct 8, 2026

Statistics show that 90-98% of both civil and criminal cases across the nation are resolved before trial. With seemingly fewer cases reaching a jury, how do we, as legal professionals, preserve a deep appreciation for the jury’s role in our systems of justice? Rocky Dhir welcomes Judge Les Hatch and litigator Cade Browning to discuss our Constitutional right to trial by jury and its enduring importance in our society.

Sep 3, 2026

After passing the bar, attorneys take an oath to uphold not only the United States Constitution, but their state constitutions as well. But how well do lawyers understand the rights and protections found in their own state constitutions, and how often do they put them to work in their legal practice?

Aug 6, 2026

To run a thriving legal business, you need your prospective clients to easily find and connect with your law firm. Rocky Dhir welcomes marketing professionals Amanda Sexton and Zack McKamie to discuss effective marketing strategies for law firms. They discuss SEO tactics and what lawyers need to know about developing an advertising approach that makes sense for their individual law firm. Later, they also dig into the ethics of lawyer marketing, AI considerations, social media usages, and much more.

Jul 2, 2026

AI is on track to surpass the intelligence of humans, promising significant impacts worldwide—and certainly within the legal profession. What do lawyers need to consider as this technology continues to evolve? Damien Riehl addressed legal professionals at the 2026 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting about the progression of artificial intelligence and the need for wisdom, morals, and discernment in the deployment of AI tools. AI promises both hopeful and worrying outcomes, and all legal professionals must engage with this topic as they seek to use it well, serve legal needs with excellence, and advance access to justice.

See all episodes →