Change looms at 10th Court

Justice Bill Vance of Waco’s 10th Court of Appeals has announced he will not run for a fourth term in 2008.  “I just thought I owed it to everybody to let them know,” Vance says, noting that he has heard of several candidates interested in his job. One potential candidate is former 10th Court Chief Justice Rex Davis, now a partner in Waco’s Sheehy, Lovelace & Mayfield.  Davis, a Republican, says he is “seriously considering” making a run for the seat but will not make a final decision until next month. Vance, the lone Democrat on the 10th Court, first won election to that court in 1990.  In the past several years, the 10th Court has been rife with tension.  Chief Justice Tom Gray has criticized Vance and Justice Felipe Reyna in dissenting opinions.  When asked whether the animosity at the court had anything to do with his decision not to seek re-election, Vance says, “nothing whatsoever.” With Vance out of the race, it will be interesting to see who among the possible candidates actually files to run for the seat.  Stay tuned.
-- Mary Alice Robbins