SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 796
WHEREAS, Clifton L. Holmes of Longview is retiring from the
firm of Holmes and Moore on May 18, 2017, drawing to a close a
noteworthy legal career that has spanned a half century; and
WHEREAS, A native of Kilgore, "Scrappy" Holmes completed
his bachelor's degree in economics at The University of Texas at
Austin and went on to graduate cum laude from George Washington
University National Law Center; he established a reputation as
one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Texas, and he has
successfully defended clients facing the death penalty in both
state and federal courts; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to his profession, Mr. Holmes has
served the legal community in a number of leadership roles; he
was a director of the State Bar of Texas and chair of the
organization's Criminal Justice Section, Special Committee on
Death Row Representation, and Standing Committee on Penal Code
and Code of Criminal Procedure; in addition, he served as
president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, as
chair of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, and as a
trustee of the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation; he was
editor of Voice for the Defense, and since 1976 he has been a
member of the faculty of the Texas Criminal Trial Advocacy
Institute; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Holmes was inducted into the Texas Criminal
Defense Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2007, and he has been named as a
Texas Super Lawyer in multiple years; in 1992, Secretary of State
John Hannah designated him as an official Texas Hero; moreover,
Mr. Holmes was selected as Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer
of the Year for 1996 by the Texas Criminal Justice Section of the
State Bar, and he was twice ranked among the Top Five Go-To
Lawyers in Texas by Texas Lawyer magazine; in all his endeavors,
he has enjoyed the love and support of his wife, Laqueta, and
their children, Nikki, Lacy, Shelly, and Bryan; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his long and distinguished
career, Scrappy Holmes has earned the respect and admiration of
innumerable people, and as he embarks on the next exciting
chapter of his life, he may indeed reflect with pride on his
achievements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
Legislature, hereby congratulate Clifton "Scrappy" Holmes on his
retirement and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
Mr. Holmes as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
Hughes
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 16, 2017.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate