On July 29, 2026, Gov. Greg Abbott reappointed all 10 judges serving on the Texas Business Court to new two-year terms beginning Sept. 1, 2026.

Established by House Bill 19 in 2023, the Texas Business Court was created to provide businesses with a specialized forum for resolving complex commercial disputes efficiently and consistently. Since opening its doors, the Court has handled hundreds of cases and resolved many of them, demonstrating the value of a dedicated business court for Texas litigants. Greenberg Traurig served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the first jury trial in the Texas Business Courts, receiving a jury verdict in our clients’ favor.

Below is the governor’s announcement, which includes an overview of the judges who will continue serving on the Texas Business Court.

Texas Business Court Reappointments

Press Release: Governor Abbott Reappoints Ten Judges To Texas Business Court

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today reappointed all ten judges of the Texas Business Court Divisions to new two-year terms beginning September 1, 2026.
 
“Businesses choose Texas in record numbers because Texas delivers results,” said Governor Abbott. “The Texas Business Court has resolved complex commercial disputes with unmatched speed and expertise. Hundreds of cases already filed and scores resolved prove these judges fuel Texas’ status as the economic engine of America. I have reappointed these skilled judges to protect that success and to ensure that Texas’ business jurisprudence is on steady ground for years to come.”
 
Since its creation, the Texas Business Court has delivered monumental success. Specialized judges now handle the most complex commercial matters with the expertise and speed Texas businesses demand. Cases move forward efficiently, which gives companies the certainty they need to invest, expand, and create jobs. The judges being reappointed today have strengthened Texas’ position as the top state for business and drawn national attention as models for commercial dispute resolution.

First Business Court Division:

  • Andrea Bouressa of Murphy has served as a Judge for the First Business Court Division since September 2024. She previously was Judge of the 471st Judicial District Court and served a two-year term as Local Administrative District Judge for Collin County.
  • William “Bill” Whitehill of Coppell has served as a Judge for the First Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as a member of Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he was head of its appellate and special issues practice group, and is a former Justice of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.

Third Business Court Division: 

  • Melissa Andrews of Austin has served as a Judge for the Third Business Court Division since September 2024. She previously served as an equity partner at Holland & Knight, an attorney for Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd and First Court of Appeals Justice Harvey Brown and was a law clerk for Judge Don R. Willett, while he served on the Texas Supreme Court.
  • Patrick K. Sweeten of Austin has served as a Judge for the Third Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as the Principal Deputy General Counsel for the Office of the Governor and Deputy Attorney General for Special Litigation for the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

Fourth Business Court Division: 

  • Marialyn Barnard of San Antonio has served as a Judge for the Fourth Business Court Division since September 2024. She previously served as Judge of the 73rd Judicial District Court in Bexar County, Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 3, and spent 10 years as a Justice on the Fourth Court of Appeals.
  • Stacy Sharp of San Antonio has served as a Judge for the Fourth Business Court Division since September 2024 and currently serves as the Administrative Presiding Judge Pro Tempore. She previously served as an attorney and owner of Sharp Appellate PLLC and an adjunct professor at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin.

Eighth Business Court Division: 

  • Jerry Bullard of Colleyville has served as a Judge for the Eighth Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C. and has over 30 years of experience in state and federal court litigation, including both trial and appellate law.
  • Brian Stagner of Fort Worth has served as a Judge for the Eighth Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as counsel and a former partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP and as an adjunct professor at Texas Christian University teaching business law.

Eleventh Business Court Division: 

  • Sofia Adrogué of Houston has served as a Judge for the Eleventh Business Court Division since September 2024. She previously served as a partner with Diamond McCarthy LLP. She is founder and editor of the Texas Business Litigation Treatise (ALM), now in its 6th Edition, dedicated to the Texas Business Court, and at the outset of her career, she clerked at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Grant Dorfman of Bellaire has served as a Judge for the Eleventh Business Court Division since September 2024 and currently serves as the Administrative Presiding Judge. He previously served as a Visiting Judge and is a former Deputy First Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Texas Attorney General, Judge of the 334th Judicial District and the 129th Judicial District both in Harris County, former counsel for Sheehy, Ware, Pappas & Grubbs, P.C., and former Senior In-House Counsel to Nabors Industries.

In 2023, Governor Abbott signed House Bill 19 to establish the Texas Business Court, a specialized trial court designed to resolve complex commercial disputes and maintain Texas’ position as the top state for business.

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Photo of Roland Garcia Roland Garcia

Roland Garcia serves as Co-Chair of the Texas Litigation Practice. Roland has tried lawsuits in state and federal trial courts, and has argued appeals in state and federal appellate courts. He has handled many high profile cases and has been quoted regarding these

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Roland Garcia serves as Co-Chair of the Texas Litigation Practice. Roland has tried lawsuits in state and federal trial courts, and has argued appeals in state and federal appellate courts. He has handled many high profile cases and has been quoted regarding these cases by The National Law Journal, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Austin-American Statesman, Corpus Christi Caller Times, Texas Lawyer, Law360 and others. Roland is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Texas Super Lawyers Magazine. He has also been listed as receiving a Top 20 Verdicts by Texas Lawyer Magazine.

Active in the legal profession, Roland was the first minority to be elected President of the Houston Bar Association, the fifth largest voluntary bar association in the country, with more than 11,000 members. He also served as President of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, an elected position of the 22,000 member state-wide lawyers organization. Roland was President of the Hispanic Bar Association and President of the Dispute Resolution Center. He was an elected Director of the State Bar of Texas, and was a Trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation. President Barack Obama appointed Roland to the Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy, the governing body for the prestigious Annapolis, Maryland institution. Roland was appointed by the Mayor and Houston City Council to be a Commissioner of the Port of Houston Authority. He previously served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Pilot Commissioners of Harris County Ports. He serves as Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board. He also serves on the boards of the Greater Houston Partnership, Hermann Eye Fund, and Harris County Hospital District Foundation. He is a Fellow of the ABA, Texas and Houston Bar Foundations. Roland served on the Texas Supreme Court’s Judicial Selection Task Force which reported on the method for selecting and retaining judicial officers that would best serve the people of Texas, on the Texas Supreme Court’s Gender Fairness Task Force and on the Texas Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee.

Roland has received numerous honors, is a community leader, and is active in local, state and national politics, serving on numerous finance and steering committees of office holders and candidates.

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Photo of Elizabeth Ross Hadley Elizabeth Ross Hadley

Elizabeth Ross Hadley focuses her practice on both government law and policy and litigation matters.

Elizabeth is Board Certified in legislative and campaign law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS). Her government practice includes representing clients with legislative, regulatory, and administrative

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Elizabeth Ross Hadley focuses her practice on both government law and policy and litigation matters.

Elizabeth is Board Certified in legislative and campaign law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS). Her government practice includes representing clients with legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues across all policy areas, with an emphasis on insurance regulation, economic development, technology, health care, education, the Texas Public Information Act, procurement matters, and campaign finance compliance in Texas. She has an intimate understanding of legislative and government agency processes given her prior experience working within the U.S. Senate, the Texas State Senate, and the Texas Department of Agriculture. Elizabeth utilizes this knowledge to provide exceptional service to clients in their interactions with Texas government, including advocating for clients before the Texas legislature and assisting clients with the rule-making process and advising on regulatory matters before state agencies, boards and commissions, as well as handling open records matters before the Texas Attorney General.

Her litigation practice includes the representation of pharmaceutical, consumer products, and medical device companies in national products liability and mass torts matters, as well as representation of insurance companies, financial institutions, health care providers, public and private corporations, and state governmental entities in various litigation-related matters. Elizabeth has wide-ranging trial experience in state and federal courts in both Texas and Mississippi, including first and second chair in jury and bench trials, motions practice, discovery, and mediation. She has handled cases from start to finish working with legal teams across the country to achieve desirable results for clients whether they are individuals, small businesses or large corporations.

Elizabeth’s advocacy for clients both in the legislature as well as in the courts gives her a unique perspective into how laws affect businesses and allows her to advise clients from both a legal and legislative viewpoint. This enables Elizabeth to provide valuable insight to clients whether they are working through the legislative, regulatory or litigation process, and a strategic approach to the client’s needs that encompasses one or all of these strategies.

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