Ruby Kless Sondock

Ruby Kless Sondock (April 26, 1926 – July 21, 2026) was an American judge who was an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. She was the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court.

Life and career Sondock initially attended the University of Houston Law Center in order to become a legal secretary, but she was admitted to the state bar a year before her graduation as valedictorian of her class (1962). Sondock was appointed to the Harris County Domestic Relations Court No. 5 in 1973 and to the 234th District Court in 1977. Sondock was the first woman to be appointed a State District Judge in Harris County, Texas.

She was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court following the death of Associate Justice James G. Denton on June 10, 1982. Sondock served from June 25 to December 31 of that year, completing Denton's term. Sondock declined to seek election to the Supreme Court and instead ran successfully for reelection to her District Court seat the following year. Sondock was the court's first female justice, with the exception of a special all-woman court convened in 1925 to hear a single case.

Sondock died on July 21, 2026, at the age of 100.