Chaired by Jasmine S. Wynton, President-Elect/President of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society and Partner at Thompson Coburn, L.L.P., this session begins with Law in the Villa de San Felipe de Austin by Bryan McAuley. McAuley explores the operations of the alcalde court system in the 1820s and 30s, when San Felipe served as the administrative center of Stephen F. Austin’s colony. He highlights notable cases, the town’s concentration of lawyers, and rare examples of trial-by-jury, while also touching on modern preservation work at the recreated courthouse exhibit.
In The Constitution of 1876: Its Enduring 150 Year Legacy, Dr. William J. Chriss examines the adoption and distinctive features of Texas’s current constitution, drawing on research from his recent book Six Constitutions over Texas. He reflects on why this 19th-century document remains central to Texas governance nearly a century and a half later.
Sharon Sandle will serve as commentator, offering observations on the presentations and guiding audience Q&A to connect the threads between Texas’s early courts and its lasting constitutional framework.
