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Lorri Montgomery, Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147 
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lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us 

Former Texas Chief Justice Recipient of National Award for Judicial Innovation

Williamsburg, VA (Dec. 12, 2005) – Former Texas Chief Justice Thomas Phillips is the 2005 recipient of the Harry L. Carrico Award for Judicial Innovation, presented by the National Center for State Courts. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales presented Chief Justice Phillips the award recently during a ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. Attorney General Gonzales and Chief Phillips served together on the Supreme Court of Texas.

This award is named after retired Virginia Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, who was instrumental in founding the National Center for State Courts in 1971. Chief Justice Carrico served on the National Center ’s Board of Directors from 1987 to 1990, serving as chair from 1989 - 1990. The award – created in 2003 when Chief Justice Carrico retired – was established to honor a sitting state court chief justice or judge who has inspired, sponsored, promoted, or led an innovation of national significance in the field of judicial administration. 

As Texas Chief Justice, Phillips achieved all of that, namely in his tireless pursuit of improving the judicial selection process in Texas and nationally. “Chief Justice Phillips battled for his entire tenure against a perception that money could buy justice, or at least influence it, in those states that elect judges,” said Texas Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson. To combat the perception, Phillips championed restrictions on judicial campaign fund raising during his first statewide race for chief justice.

Phillips pioneered judicial campaign finance reform by voluntarily placing limits on the size of donations to his 1988 judicial campaign. Those limits were adopted by several other successful candidates and became law as part of the Texas Judicial Campaign Fairness Act in 1995. Phillips now is a practicing partner with the Texas law firm Baker Botts.

NCSC President Mary Campbell McQueen said Chief Justice Phillips’ work in the area of judicial selection has also contributed to improving the public’s confidence in the judiciary. In 2000, Phillips played a leadership role in the first-ever National Summit on Improving the Judicial Selection Process, which brought together state legislators and judicial leaders of the 17 most populated states. Chief Phillips served as chair of the NCSC Board of Directors in 1997-98, at which time he also served as president of the Conference of Chief Justices.

 The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg , Va. , is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center , founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing

the justice system. For example, it has established a major civil justice initiative, a multi-year project that is examining best practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved. Other national initiatives being driven by the National Center include judicial selection reform and increasing citizen participation in jury service.  

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