Show Notes
As part of the Future of Texas series in partnership with Texas 2036, this episode explores how Texas courts and the justice system must evolve to serve a rapidly growing state.
In this episode of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail is joined by Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, and Luis Soberon, Senior Policy Advisor and In House Counsel at Texas 2036, for a forward-looking conversation about the future of courts, access to justice, and judicial reform in Texas.
As Texas adds more residents, more businesses, and more complexity to its economy, the demands on the justice system are growing as well. Chief Justice Jefferson and Soberon discuss how population growth affects everything from family law and criminal dockets to business disputes and court backlogs — and why the state must modernize now if it wants to preserve public trust and timely access to justice by 2036.
The conversation also examines how Texas courts have already evolved through electronic filing, virtual hearings, and greater public transparency, while also looking ahead to the next wave of change driven by AI, data systems, and digital tools that could make the justice system more accessible and more efficient.
The discussion also covers:
• Why access to justice still depends too heavily on who can afford a lawyer
• How legal aid, pro bono work, and technology can help narrow that gap
• The role of e-filing, courtroom livestreams, and digital systems in modernizing courts
• How AI could improve legal access and court administration without replacing human judgment
• Why Texas may need more courts, more judges, and stronger court funding as the state grows
• Whether partisan judicial elections still make sense in a more populous and polarized Texas
• Why court data and transparency are essential to understanding backlog, performance, and reform
• How simple changes like text reminders and clearer notices can improve compliance and reduce harm
• Why backlog reduction and access to justice may be the clearest markers of success by 2036
Chief Justice Jefferson argues that Texas should aim to become a national leader in ensuring every resident can protect their most basic rights in court, while Soberon emphasizes that better data, smarter administration, and sustained investment will be critical if the justice system is going to keep pace with Texas’s future.
Through the Future of Texas podcast series, Texas 2036 brings together diverse perspectives as we explore the opportunities and challenges facing our state over the next ten years. The views expressed in this program are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Texas 2036, its staff or its Board of Directors.
00:00 — Introduction to the Future of Texas series and today’s justice focus
00:29 — Why population growth puts pressure on Texas courts
01:14 — Guests introduced: Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson and Luis Soberon
02:26 — What it means for justice to evolve in a growing state
03:22 — Access to justice and why cost remains the biggest barrier
04:15 — Technology, remote hearings, and how courts have already changed
05:44 — Chief Justice Jefferson on modernizing the Texas court system
07:16 — AI, court technology, and the future of legal access
09:53 — The growing gap between people who have lawyers and people who do not
11:22 — Legal aid, self-help tools, and high-volume civil cases
15:20 — How AI could transform legal work without replacing judges or lawyers
20:04 — How growth affects court demand, specialization, and business courts
24:25 — More judges, more courts, and pressure on judicial elections
27:53 — Can judicial independence survive a hyperpartisan environment?
32:23 — What a chief justice actually does in the Texas court system
37:30 — The data problem in Texas courts and why it matters
41:06 — How better data could reveal backlog, performance, and reform
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