Blacklock is replacing retired Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, while Abbott's legal adviser James Sullivan takes the open spot on the bench.

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Texas Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock to be the court’s chief justice and named James Sullivan as a justice Monday. Blacklock succeeds Nathan Hecht, the state’s longest-serving Supreme Court justice,

Abbott originally appointed Blacklock to the high court as the Place 2 justice in 2018. Abbott's general counsel James Sullivan will replace Blacklock as a new justice.

Hecht is the longest-tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history. He won six reelections and led the court as chief justice for more than a decade.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has named Justice Jimmy Blacklock as the next chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, ending months of speculation about who will lead the state’s highest civil court.

Abbott appointed Justice Jimmy Blacklock to serve as chief justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, the governor's office announced Monday.

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Justice Jimmy Blacklock as the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, succeeding Nathan Hecht.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed one of his office's former lawyers to the Texas Supreme Court and another to replace the court's Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who retired last month. Abbott's general counsel James P.