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Texas Supreme Court Joins Twitter

By Brett Snider, Esq. on February 18, 2014 | Last updated on February 06, 2023

In a move that may be emulated by other states' High Courts, the Texas Supreme Court launched its very own Twitter account to tweet its orders.

Debuting in February, the Lone Star State's highest court is available @SupremeCourt_TX, manned by the Texas Supreme Court Clerk's office, Texas Lawyer reported.

What hijinks can we expect from this new Twitter account?

Twitter Has a New High Court in Town

With Texas' high court finally joining the rest of us on Twitter, it can take part in some of the regular frustrations other legal professionals experience online. Like having your domain name or Twitter handle taken by someone else.

If you're wondering why the Texas Supreme Court didn't take @TXSupremeCt, Justia snaked it to publish its Texas Supreme Court opinion summaries -- even though it has only one tweet posted after May 2013.

But not getting the most intuitive Twitter name hasn't dampened the court's Internet spirits. The witty Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett -- who made our list of 50 Twitter accounts every lawyer should follow -- is one of the four accounts followed by @SupremeCourt_TX, and we know why. It's got to be his love of Ice Cube.

These select four suggest that the Texas Supreme Court will only be following those who are Texas Supreme Court Justices, so don't feel snubbed. Texas Lawyer reported that even Justice Willett was initially unfollowed by the court's twitter, much to his mock chagrin.

State Supreme Courts Take to Twitter

Texas isn't the only state with a hip Supreme Court; Pennsylvania has also taken to Twitter @SupremeCtofPA. The Keystone State's high court has tweeted over a thousand times by publication of this post, including helpful hints like when the court's offices are closed.

The court's tweets also include various decisions and orders, and given its long tweeting history, not a single rage tweet. The Quaker State Court's page is a bit snazzier than its Texas cousin, with a background tiled with Pennsylvania Supreme Court images and header photo showing the court's beautiful domed ceiling.

Maybe the remaining 48 high courts should hire some Twitter-ready clerks; they can take care of link rot and get each court ready to tweet. Until then, the Texas Supreme Court stands as an almost-lone star in the tiny constellation of judicial bodies in the Twitterverse.

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