Editor’s Note: This story, co-published here with permission, was produced by Public Health Watch, a nonprofit investigative news organization.
The announcement last month from Texas Governor Greg Abbott was easy to overlook. The governor, always eager to promote what he calls his “conservative, business-friendly agenda,” had appointed three fellow Republicans to the new 15th Court of Appeals, created by the Texas Legislature last year to decide civil cases brought by or against the state, along with high-stakes business litigation.
“These highly experienced individuals will serve a vital role in our state’s effort to ensure that the Texas Constitution and state statutes are applied uniformly throughout Texas and that businesses have a sophisticated and efficient process to resolve their disputes,” Abbott said in a news release.
