James P. Sullivan

James Patrick Sullivan (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney and judge serving as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court since 2025.

Early life

Sullivan was born near Houston, Texas. During primary schooling, his family moved to Travis County, west of Austin, Texas, where he attended public school, graduating from Westlake High School in 1999. While attending Rice University (BA, 2003) he played football for the Owls, before attending Harvard Law School, eventually serving as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Career

Sullivan was a law clerk to Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, has served as an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and has been an appellate litigator in private practice.

Before being appointed SCOTX justice, Sullivan served the state as deputy counsel for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, having previously served under (then- attorney general) Abbott as assistant solicitor general.

Upon Sullivan's appointment to the Supreme Court of Texas, Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock stated "James Sullivan is a brilliant, hard-working lawyer who has served the People of Texas with distinction for many years. He will make an excellent addition to our state’s Supreme Court."

He is a member of the Federalist Society and Teneo.

Judicial career

This is Sullivan's first judgeship. His writing style is known for abrasive wit and exhaustive footnotes. He often quotes comical fictional characters in support of his otherwise-technical opinions (e.g. The Big Lebowski, The Karate Kid, The Simpsons, and Saturday Night Live ), while maintaining bland legalese in more sensitive matters (e.g. loss of life).

Personal life

Sullivan lives in Austin with his wife and their son.

Sullivan's father is an Austin-born engineer, having spent the majority of his career problem solving for various Texas state agencies. His mother was a Houston-born massage therapist. He has two younger brothers. Texan grandfathers included a paternal USAF navigator (Maj.) & maternal NASA rocket scientist (Apollo).