My review of the statistics from the Texas Supreme Court’s dispositions in 2021 brought an assortment of facts to the forefront that are worth highlighting.
- For the second year in a row, the court accepted a significantly higher number of petitions for writ of mandamus.
- As the number of petitions for writ of mandamus reviewed increased significantly, the number of petitions for review granted declined, so that the size of the court’s active docket remained relatively constant.
- The court wrote opinions on a disproportionate number of petitions for review that originated in the Third District Court of Appeals District (Austin), the Fourth District Court of Appeals (San Antonio), and the Fourteenth District Court of Appeals (Houston).
- No petitions for review originating in either the Ninth District Court of Appeals (Beaumont) or the Twelfth District Court of Appeals (Tyler) were disposed of by written opinion.
- 100 percent of the petitions for review granted and originating in the Third District Court of Appeals (Austin) were reversed. In spite of this high reversal rate, the Third District Court of Appeals is tied with the Thirteenth District Court of Appeals for the best affirmance rate of all intermediate courts of appeals over the last 8 years.
- Justice Blacklock authored the highest number of unanimous opinions for the court in 2021.
See Mike’s article on the 2021 Statistics here.
