Cornyn Praises Pres. Trump’s Nomination of James Sullivan as a District Judge for the Western District of Texas

Cornyn Praises Pres. Trump’s Nomination of James Sullivan as a District Judge for the Western District of Texas News Cornyn Praises Pres. Trump’s Nomination of James Sullivan as a District Judge for the Western District of Texas November 10, 2026 WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Cornyn released the following statement after President Trump announced his intention to nominate James Sullivan to be a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas: “ James Sullivan has a wealth of legal experience that makes him eminently qualified for the federal bench, including serving honorably on the Texas Supreme Court, ” said Sen. Cornyn. “ I was proud to recommend this Texan to President Trump along with Sen. Cruz, and I look forward to seeing James continue his track record of upholding the rule of law and administering justice fairly as a district judge . ” Senators Cornyn and Ted Cruz (R-TX) recommended James Sullivan to President Trump following an extensive review and interview process of the candidate pool by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC). Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Cruz established the FJEC, a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas, to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill judicial vacancies. The panel reviewed applications, interviewed candidates, and made recommendations to the Senators, who interviewed individuals before making their recommendations to the President. Justice James P. Sullivan was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2025. Before joining the Court, Justice Sullivan served as General Counsel to Governor Abbott and as Assistant Solicitor General under then-Attorney General Abbott.  He also worked as an appellate litigator in private practice and as an adjunct professor at George Mason University.  Justice Sullivan was a law clerk to Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he was an Articles Editor on the Harvard Law Review .  Justice Sullivan lives in Austin with his wife, Alithea, and their son.