PRESS RELEASE: Kirk D. Lyons 828-669-5189
18 September 2004
SLRC Welcomes New Texas Supreme Court Justice
Black Mountain, NC - The leading civil rights organization for Southern heritage and culture today welcomed the appointment of Justice Wallace Jefferson as the new Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
"Justice Jefferson has a proven track record as a conservative member of the judiciary and a strict constructionist of the Texas state constitution," said Kirk D. Lyons, SLRC Chief Trial Counsel. "We are hopeful this means that Southerners who love their heritage will fare better under him than under his predecessor."
Jefferson, 41, replaces Tom Phillips, who acted together with then-Gov. George W. Bush to have two plaques which referenced Texas' Confederate history removed from the Supreme Court building in secret. The Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans sued to have the plaques reinstated; that case is still pending.
"As a strict constructionist, Justice Jefferson can appreciate exactly how illegal the removal of those plaques was," said Lyons. The Court is a tenant in that building; it can't change a light bulb without going through the system. Our hope is that Justice Jefferson appreciates that fact and that he will act to save everybody time and money by simply causing the plaques to be replaced."
For additional information, contact:
Roger McCredie
Southern Legal Resource Center
(828) 669-5189
exec@slrc-csa.org
We appreciate your continued support for the Southern Legal Resource Center. Please visit our website at www.slrc-csa.org. You can make a donation online with PayPal.
The Southern legal Resource Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization and contributions to it are fully tax deductible. Credit card and PayPal donations may be made at our website by clicking on "How You Can Help." Checks payable to the Southern Legal Resource Center should be mailed to P.O. Box 1235, Black Mountain, NC 28711.
"Thumbs Up for Dixie" stickers are available for SLRC and local heritage fundraising projects. Contact Allison Schaum for details at slrc@crystalink.com or (864) 476-0656.
