Wallace Jefferson, the first African-American to be chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court and one of the most respected jurists in the nation, is resigning his position effective Oct. 1.
In an interview Monday, Jefferson said that he informed Gov. Rick Perry of his decision last week and that an official announcement will be issued Tuesday.
The governor is expected to appoint a new chief justice quickly. That appointee will have to run for election next fall.
Jefferson has served on the state’s highest court for a dozen years, nine of them as chief justice. He said financial pressures led to his decision, but he said he also had achieved most of the goals he had set out to accomplish.
“I love being chief justice because it is a great job,” Jefferson said in a telephone interview Monday. “I’m going to move on to some new challenges, though I’m not sure what yet.”
