Justice Baker believes each and every party before the court is entitled to equal treatment & protection before the law. Justice Baker strives to ensure that the due process & civil rights of all people, regardless of race, creed, gender, or political allegiance, are rigorously upheld & protected.
In Texas, our court system remains backlogged & overburdened at virtually every level, resulting in high costs to the state and delays in due process to litigants. Justice Baker and his colleagues came into office with a mandate to address the issue head-on, and they have. The 3rd Court of Appeals is now among the most productive of issued opinions in the state. As mentioned below, Justice Baker has made every effort to ensure the state legislature properly funds the court & provides adequate compensation to recruit & retain key staff. By working hard & augmenting process efficiency, Justice Baker & his colleagues are helping to get the Texas court system back on track & on schedule.
Activism for the Third Court of Appeals and Texas Appellate Justice
Justice Baker & his colleagues recently testified at the Texas Legislature to preserve the Third Court of Appeals’ right to handle cases against the State of Texas and Texas agencies. Republicans in the Texas Legislature aimed to create an unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional 15th Court of Appeals to handle such cases against the State of Texas. It would be elected statewide, which would result in Republican judges. The State of Texas already has a Republican-controlled Supreme Court of Texas with final authority over all civil opinions from appellate courts that are appealed further.
Unfortunately, the Republican Legislature prevailed and the court was created. This new court is called the Third Court of Appeals 15, also known as the ‘Paxton Star Court’, which stripped intermediate appellate courts (such as the Third Court of Appeals) of administrative law review. Justice Baker submitted written and oral testimony in the Texas Senate and Texas House. Although the efforts of the Justices were not ultimately enough to prevent the creation of Appellate Court 15, Justice Baker and his colleagues demonstrated great political courage in standing up to an unreasonable and inefficient power-grab by Republicans.