SB 2127 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the assignment of certain retired and former justices and judges.

Texas Senate Bill 2127 modifies rules for temporarily assigning retired or former judges to active judicial positions. It allows retired or former justices and judges to be assigned to courts of appeals or district courts without a vacancy, provided they meet specific criteria: at least 72 months of prior service (including 48 months in appellate courts), no judicial misconduct history, annual continuing education, and certifications to avoid conflicts of interest (e.g., not representing clients or hearing cases involving former clients). The bill also updates definitions of "retired judge" and eligibility requirements for inclusion on judicial assignment lists. These changes apply only to assignments occurring after the bill’s effective date.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 10, 2025 Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 3 edits · Jun 20, 2025
MINOR
This bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to the final 'Enrolled' version ready for the Governor's signature. The substantive policy content remains unchanged, but the formatting was cleaned up to remove draft markers, page numbers, and placeholder text while preserving all legislative language and amendments to the Government Code.
Scope change
No change in scope or applicability; the bill's legal effect and coverage remain identical to the previous version.
TECHNICAL

Removed draft annotations, page numbers, and placeholder text (such as 'AA' markers and bracketed numbers) while preserving all substantive legislative language.

Added official enrolled version header and footer including certification of passage by the Senate and House, along with the Governor's approval signature block.

Reorganized line breaks and spacing to conform to the standard enrolled bill format used for final legislative documents.

Floor votes · House May 22, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
47
Key actions
13
Committee
8
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 22, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (139-0-5)
house
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 25, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Committee
Referred to Jurisprudence
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
3 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors