Wallace Jefferson Picked As 1st Black Texas State Supreme Court Judge

Jet, April 2, 2001

Texas Atty. Wallace Bernard Jefferson of San Antonio--a member of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct--recently was named by Gov. Rick Perry to the state Supreme Court.

If confirmed by the Texas Senate, Jefferson, 37, will become the first Black in Texas history to sit on its high court. Jefferson will fill the seat left vacant by former Justice Al Gonzales. Jefferson will seek election to the bench in 2002.

Jefferson is a partner in Crofts, Callaway & Jefferson, a law firm he helped establish in 1991. In 1999, the State Bar of Texas appointed Jefferson to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

In addition to his being a member of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Jefferson also is a member of the Supreme Court of Texas Advisory Committee. He is a member of the San Antonio Bar, and served as its president in 1998-1999.

Jefferson is a 1985 graduate of Michigan State University and a 1988 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. Jefferson and his wife, Rhonda, have three sons.