H.R. No. 2813
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Justice Sam Griffith is retiring from the 12th Court
of Appeals in 2015, drawing to a close a notable tenure on the court
that has spanned 14 years; and
WHEREAS, Justice Griffith earned his bachelor's and master's
degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University, and he received
his law degree from St. Mary's School of Law; he began his legal
career as a briefing attorney for Justice Paul S. Colley of the 12th
Court of Appeals before entering private practice in Tyler; from
1997 to 1998, he was a juvenile court judge for County Court at Law
No. 3 of Smith County, and from 1999 through 2000, he returned to
private practice; he was elected to the 12th Court of Appeals in
2000 and began his first term on January 1, 2001, and he was
reelected unopposed in 2006 and 2012; and
WHEREAS, Board certified in criminal law and criminal
appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Justice
Griffith is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Smith County
Bar Association; he is a member of the Texas Bar Association
Judicial and Appellate Sections, and he has served on the Texas Bar
Association Committee on Law Focused Education; he has been
admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Fifth
Circuit, and the U.S. Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Justice Griffith has taught U.S. constitutional law
at Yunnan University School of Law in China and at Koya University
in Iraq; he has published and delivered articles on a variety of
topics, from law to social psychology, and he is a regular speaker
at legal seminars on criminal appeals and evidentiary issues; and
WHEREAS, Despite his busy professional life, Justice
Griffith has also found time to dedicate himself to community
service; he has been chair of the board of directors of the local
YMCA, secretary of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Smith
County, and a member of the board of the East Texas Farm and Ranch
Club; he is active with the East Texas Food Bank food garden, and he
has won more than 50 ribbons at the East Texas State Fair for the
vegetables he has grown; and
WHEREAS, A man of profound religious faith, Justice Griffith
is also active in Christian missionary work, leading or
participating in mission trips to Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, El
Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala; his mission work in Iraq
earned him the Global Encourager Award from the Global Evangelistic
Relations Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, and in
2013, he received the Servant Leadership Award from the Texas
TeenPact Leadership Schools; and
WHEREAS, Justice Griffith's professionalism, integrity, and
dedication to the law have greatly benefited his fellow Texans and
earned him the respect and admiration of his peers, and he may
indeed reflect with pride on his service to the 12th Court of
Appeals as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Justice Sam Griffith on his
retirement from the 12th Court of Appeals and extend to him sincere
best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Justice Griffith as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Hughes
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2813 was adopted by the House on May
21, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House