My review of the statistics from the Texas Supreme Court’s dispositions in 2021 brought an assortment of facts to the forefront that are worth highlighting.

  • For the second year in a row, the court accepted a significantly higher number of petitions for writ of mandamus.
  • As the number of petitions for writ of mandamus reviewed increased significantly, the number of petitions for review granted declined, so that the size of the court’s active docket remained relatively constant.
  • The court wrote opinions on a disproportionate number of petitions for review that originated in the Third District Court of Appeals District (Austin), the Fourth District Court of Appeals (San Antonio), and the Fourteenth District Court of Appeals (Houston).
  • No petitions for review originating in either the Ninth District Court of Appeals (Beaumont) or the Twelfth District Court of Appeals (Tyler) were disposed of by written opinion.
  • 100 percent of the petitions for review granted and originating in the Third District Court of Appeals (Austin) were reversed.  In spite of this high reversal rate, the Third District Court of Appeals is tied with the Thirteenth District Court of Appeals for the best affirmance rate of all intermediate courts of appeals over the last 8 years.
  • Justice Blacklock authored the highest number of unanimous opinions for the court in 2021.
Photo of Mike Northrup Mike Northrup

Mike Northrup is the chair of the appellate practice group at Cowles & Thompson, P.C. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a former Chair of the Appellate Law Section of the Dallas…

Mike Northrup is the chair of the appellate practice group at Cowles & Thompson, P.C. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a former Chair of the Appellate Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association. He is also a former briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas.

Practice Areas

  • Civil Appeals
  • Labor and Employment Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Municipal Law

Professional Associations

  • Dallas Bar Association, Appellate Law Section
  • Defense Research Institute
  • College of the State Bar of Texas
  • State Bar of Texas, Appellate Section
  • Texas Aggie Bar Association

Education

  • JD, Texas Tech University School of Law (1988)
  • B.S., (Political Science), Texas A&M University (1985)

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Texas
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Court, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas