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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Justice Sam Griffith is retiring from the 12th Court |
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| 6 | 7 | | of Appeals in 2015, drawing to a close a notable tenure on the court |
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| 7 | 8 | | that has spanned 14 years; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Justice Griffith earned his bachelor's and master's |
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| 9 | 10 | | degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University, and he received |
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| 10 | 11 | | his law degree from St. Mary's School of Law; he began his legal |
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| 11 | 12 | | career as a briefing attorney for Justice Paul S. Colley of the 12th |
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| 12 | 13 | | Court of Appeals before entering private practice in Tyler; from |
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| 13 | 14 | | 1997 to 1998, he was a juvenile court judge for County Court at Law |
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| 14 | 15 | | No. 3 of Smith County, and from 1999 through 2000, he returned to |
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| 15 | 16 | | private practice; he was elected to the 12th Court of Appeals in |
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| 16 | 17 | | 2000 and began his first term on January 1, 2001, and he was |
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| 17 | 18 | | reelected unopposed in 2006 and 2012; and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Board certified in criminal law and criminal |
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| 19 | 20 | | appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Justice |
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| 20 | 21 | | Griffith is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Smith County |
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| 21 | 22 | | Bar Association; he is a member of the Texas Bar Association |
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| 22 | 23 | | Judicial and Appellate Sections, and he has served on the Texas Bar |
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| 23 | 24 | | Association Committee on Law Focused Education; he has been |
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| 24 | 25 | | admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Fifth |
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| 25 | 26 | | Circuit, and the U.S. Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Justice Griffith has taught U.S. constitutional law |
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| 27 | 28 | | at Yunnan University School of Law in China and at Koya University |
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| 28 | 29 | | in Iraq; he has published and delivered articles on a variety of |
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| 29 | 30 | | topics, from law to social psychology, and he is a regular speaker |
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| 30 | 31 | | at legal seminars on criminal appeals and evidentiary issues; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Despite his busy professional life, Justice |
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| 32 | 33 | | Griffith has also found time to dedicate himself to community |
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| 33 | 34 | | service; he has been chair of the board of directors of the local |
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| 34 | 35 | | YMCA, secretary of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Smith |
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| 35 | 36 | | County, and a member of the board of the East Texas Farm and Ranch |
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| 36 | 37 | | Club; he is active with the East Texas Food Bank food garden, and he |
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| 37 | 38 | | has won more than 50 ribbons at the East Texas State Fair for the |
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| 38 | 39 | | vegetables he has grown; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, A man of profound religious faith, Justice Griffith |
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| 40 | 41 | | is also active in Christian missionary work, leading or |
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| 41 | 42 | | participating in mission trips to Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, El |
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| 42 | 43 | | Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala; his mission work in Iraq |
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| 43 | 44 | | earned him the Global Encourager Award from the Global Evangelistic |
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| 44 | 45 | | Relations Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, and in |
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| 45 | 46 | | 2013, he received the Servant Leadership Award from the Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | TeenPact Leadership Schools; and |
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| 47 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Justice Griffith's professionalism, integrity, and |
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| 48 | 49 | | dedication to the law have greatly benefited his fellow Texans and |
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| 49 | 50 | | earned him the respect and admiration of his peers, and he may |
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| 50 | 51 | | indeed reflect with pride on his service to the 12th Court of |
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| 51 | 52 | | Appeals as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; now, |
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| 52 | 53 | | therefore, be it |
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| 53 | 54 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 54 | 55 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Justice Sam Griffith on his |
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| 55 | 56 | | retirement from the 12th Court of Appeals and extend to him sincere |
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| 56 | 57 | | best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further |
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| 57 | 58 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 58 | 59 | | prepared for Justice Griffith as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 59 | 60 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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