Harriet O'Neill

Harriet Smith O'Neill
Justice of the Texas Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1999 – June 20, 2010
Preceded byRose Spector
Succeeded byDebra Lehrmann
Judge of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Texas
In office
1995–1998
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Judge of the Texas 152 District Court
In office
1993–1995
Personal details
Born (1957-04-20) April 20, 1957 (age 67)
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Austin, Travis County, Texas, USA
Alma materConverse College
University of South Carolina School of Law
OccupationAttorney; Judge

Harriet Smith O'Neill (born April 20, 1957) is a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. A Republican, O'Neill represented Place 3 of the nine positions on the court. O'Neill's term was to expire on December 31, 2010, and she declined to seek re-election to a third full six-year term.[1] In the April 13 runoff election, Judge Debra Lehrmann, a family court judge from Fort Worth, won the Republican primary to succeed O'Neill. O'Neill subsequently decided to leave the court early and vacated the seat on June 20, 2010.[2] Lehrmann was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to fill out O'Neill's term.

Judicial experience

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O'Neill was first elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1998. Previously, O'Neill had been a justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Texas since 1995, when then-Governor George W. Bush appointed her. Prior to that, O'Neill had been a trial judge for the 152nd District Court, located in Houston, to which she was elected in 1992.

Education and career

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O'Neill completed her undergraduate studies at Converse College and she received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1982. Prior to joining the bench, O'Neill was in private practice in Houston. She practiced law with the firms of Porter & Clements, Morris & Campbell, and then opened her own practice. Throughout those ten years, O'Neill practiced mostly complex business and commercial litigation.

References

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  1. ^ http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/52613712.html[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Texas Supreme Court press release, May 7, 2010". Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, Place 3
1999–2010
Succeeded by