Blacklock is replacing retired Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, while Abbott's legal adviser James Sullivan takes the open spot on the bench.

Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, has been named the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed one of his office's former lawyers to the Texas Supreme Court and another to replace the court's Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who retired last month. Abbott's general counsel James P.

Hecht is the longest-tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history. He won six reelections and led the court as chief justice for more than a decade.