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Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, has been named the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He replaces Nathan Hecht, the court’s longest serving justice, who stepped down at the end of December due to the mandatory judicial retirement age.

Abbott appointed his general counsel, James P. Sullivan, to take the seat vacated by Blacklock’s promotion.

“The Supreme Court of Texas plays a crucial role to shape the future of our great state, and Jimmy Blacklock and James Sullivan will be unwavering guardians of the Texas Constitution serving on our state’s highest judicial court,” Abbott said in a statement.

As chief justice, Blacklock will take on a larger role in the administration of the court. During his tenure, Hecht helped reform the rules of civil procedure and was a fierce advocate for legal aid and other programs to help low-income Texans access the justice system. But, as he told The Texas Tribune in December, when it comes to rulings, “the chief is just one voice of nine.”

Adding Sullivan to the court will further secure the court’s conservative stronghold. While Hecht came up in an era when state courts were less politically relevant, Blacklock and Sullivan are both young proteges of an increasingly active conservative legal movement.

Blacklock attended Yale Law School and clerked on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and after a stint in private practice, he joined the Texas Office of the Attorney General under Abbott. He helped lead Texas’ aggressive litigation strategy against the Obama administration, defending the state’s restrictive abortion and voter identification laws, gay marriage restrictions and crusade against the Affordable Care Act.

When Abbott became governor, Blacklock became his general counsel. Abbott appointed him to the bench in December 2017, when he was just 38 years old.

The Texas Supreme Court has transformed over the last few decades from a plaintiff-friendly venue dominated by Democrats to the exclusive domain of increasingly conservative Republicans. Abbott, a former justice himself, has played a huge role in this shift, appointing six of the nine current justices, including Sullivan.

Sullivan graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. He spent four years as Texas assistant solicitor general during Abbott’s tenure as attorney general, and in 2018, became Abbott’s deputy general counsel. In 2021, he became the governor’s general counsel.

“As General Counsel for the Office of the Governor, James Sullivan has provided superior legal advice and rendered opinions on some of the most consequential legal issues in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement. “He has the integrity, temperament, and experience Texas needs as a Texas Supreme Court Justice.”

It’s now seen as one of the most conservative high courts in the country, issuing consequential rulings on abortion, COVID restrictions, health care for trans minors and local control in just the last few years. While Democrats have tried to pin these often unpopular rulings on the justices during election years, incumbents tend to easily win reelection in these relatively low-awareness down-ballot races.

Blacklock defeated Harris County District Judge DaSean Jones in November by more than 16 points. In a statement Monday, he thanked Hecht for his “extraordinary legacy of service.”

“The Supreme Court of Texas belongs to the People of Texas, not to the judges or the lawyers,” he said. “Our job at the Court is to apply the law fairly and impartially to every case that comes before us. My colleagues and I are committed to defending the rule of law and to preserving our Texas and United States Constitutions.”

One of Austin’s best barbecue trucks finally has a full-blown restaurant.

Micklethwait Craft Meats, a barbecue truck that formerly took up residency on Rosewood Avenue, opened its first standalone restaurant at 4602 Tanney Street in East Austin on Friday, January 3.

Tom Micklethwait, the owner and founder of Micklethwait Craft Meats, says the new space has also allowed the restaurant to expand its menu to offer an ever-changing lineup of specials and baked goods, in addition to butchering its own cuts of meats. The restaurant has also incorporated new offset pits, including one that allows Micklethwait to cook ingredients and meats directly on the fire. “The new cooking style will allow the restaurant to expand its repertoire and how we approach barbecue as opposed to the classic Central Texas offset smoker,” he says. “We’re getting more into Southwest Texas cowboy style.”

Though he believes brisket will always be the restaurant’s No. 1 seller, Micklethwait predicts newer favorites will include chicken al carbon. Cooked Southwest Texas style — smoked with post oak and finished directly over mesquite coals — the dish is served with salsa verde and tortillas, almost like a build-your-own taco platter, he says.

The restaurant, which Micklethwait says had a good first-day turnout, has launched with limited hours from 11 a.m. to around 4 p.m. or sellout Thursday through Sunday, but by March or April, Micklethwait says he plans to expand the hours — adding on dinner or more hours earlier in the week.

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Micklethwait Craft Meats

Micklethwait purchased the building at the corner of Springdale and Oak Springs last summer from friends. He had already used the 90-year-old building, which previously served as a farm store and a neighborhood church, as Craft Meat’s headquarters and commissary kitchen for its food truck for the past six years. He began renovating the building last August. The revamped building now offers 40 indoor seats and 80 seats on its spacious outdoor patio, which is shaded by pecan trees. The Micklethwaits say they plan to add some new components, including an onsite herb and vegetable garden that will help fuel their menu.

Though known mainly for its food trucks, Micklethwait has owned other restaurants. The team originally opened a Micklethwait restaurant in Smithville in 2018 but closed it in 2020 to focus on the Austin food truck, which he opened in 2012.

Micklethwai also operated the sandwich truck Romanouskas Delicatessen from 2015 to 2016 and the taco truck Taco Bronco in 2020. He expanded his footprint in 2021 with Saddle Up, a beer garden and icehouse located on Rosewood Avenue, where the Micklethwait truck was once located. As planned, Micklethwait closed Saddle Up late last year to launch the restaurant.

Micklethwait Craft Meats is located at 4602 Tanney Street, East Austin, 78721. It is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., or sellout, from Thursday through Saturday.

After getting a relatively breezy win over Missouri on Saturday to open up conference play, the SEC slate is set to take it up a notch on Auburn basketball this week.

The second-ranked Tigers don’t play a home game for a week-plus a they travel to Austin, Texas, on Monday for a matchup with the Longhorns at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday before heading east to play South Carolina at noon Saturday.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing them in Austin or playing them here,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Saturday. “We’ve got 40 minutes of a basketball game against the University of Texas. … For me, honestly, I think we can play better on the road. You have to: You have to be sharper, you have to take better care of the ball. You can’t be as casual with your passes. You have to be locked in.”

As the Tigers embark on a week-long road trip, here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s tilt with Texas.

SEC PREVIEW: Breaking down Auburn basketball’s 2024-25 conference slate

Why more history is on the line for Bruce Pearl against Texas

With the Missouri win, Bruce Pearl earned his 213th career victory at Auburn — which tied him with Joel Eaves for the most in the program’s history. On Tuesday, Pearl has a chance to surpass Eaves and become the winningest coach in the program’s history.

MAKING (MORE) HISTORY: Bruce Pearl ties Auburn basketball’s winningest coach mark

“I will celebrate whatever we accomplish this year this summer,” Pearl said Saturday of the accolade. “I’ll celebrate with my friends, my family, the Auburn Family, on the boat at Lake Martin; out there on a golf course. Nobody will enjoy it more. But you know me. You have to know I’m on to Texas and on to the next one.”

Injury updates: Auburn basketball vs. Texas

It should be a clean bill of health for both squads. Neither had a player out in their SEC-openers, and while Auburn may still be monitoring Johni Broome’s shoulder in the aftermath of his injury against Georgia State, he’s played 20-plus minutes in each of the Tigers’ three games since.

How to watch Auburn basketball vs. Texas: Tipoff time, TV and live stream options

• TV channel: ESPN2
• Streaming: Fubo
• Start time: 8 p.m. CT
• Location: Moody Center (Austin, Texas)

Listen live: Auburn basketball vs. Texas on the radio

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on WLWI FM (92.3) in Montgomery and WGZZ FM (94.3) in Auburn. The radio call can also be streamed online. Here are the announcers:

• Analysis/Color: Randall Dickey
• Play-by-play: Andy Burcham

Prediction for Auburn basketball vs. Texas

No. 2 Auburn 78, Texas 70: It’ll be just the second true road game of the season for Auburn. Pearl said he thinks game sites will be inconsequential for much of SEC’s best this season, and looking at Texas’ resume so far, he could be right. While the Longhorns have just two losses, one of those was an 11-point defeat to then-No. 25 UConn at the Moody Center.

If the Tigers can take a few pages out of Texas A&M’s book, they should be fine. The Aggies staved off the Longhorns for an 80-60 victory on Saturday. In the process, they held Texas guard Tre Johnson — the Longhorn’s leading scorer — to 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.