Justice Brett Busby served on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2018, and Governor Greg Abbott appointed him to the Supreme Court of Texas on February 21, 2019. Brett is an experienced appellate litigator and a former partner at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP in Houston. Brett served as a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court after law school, and he later argued one case and briefed many others in that court. He also handled dozens of appeals in the Texas Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals, and he argued jury charges and handled legal issues in many trials. He represented individuals, small businesses, and large companies as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil cases, and he regularly volunteered to provide free legal services in both civil and criminal cases.
Super Lawyers selected Brett as one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas in 2012, and Chambers and Partners named him a leading Texas appellate lawyer for four years in a row. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and he received an AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Brett is dedicated to improving the courts and the legal profession. In 2018, his fellow Texas appellate lawyers elected him as Chair of the State Bar Appellate Section, and his fellow judges elected him as Chair-Elect of the State Bar Judicial Section. Brett has chaired the Texas Access to Justice Commission’s Rules and Legislation Committee and served on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, which recommends changes to state rules. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a member of the Federalist Society. Brett has also served as chair of the State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges (Business, Consumer, Insurance, and Employment Volume), co-chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Teach Texas Committee, and a director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
Brett is also a frequent author and speaker at continuing legal education conferences. Before taking the bench, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School, where he taught the U.S. Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.
Family & Community
Brett is a seventh-generation Texan and a third-generation Eagle Scout. He graduated with high honors from Duke University and Columbia Law School.
Brett met his wife, Erin, when they both clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court. Erin is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School, and she spends part of her time at home with their two children. The family attends St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
Brett is active in his community. A life-long violinist, Brett is a member of the Houston Symphony Board, where he serves as chair of the Artistic Affairs Committee and previously chaired the Music Director Selection Committee. He also plays in the first violin section of the Houston Civic Symphony and serves on the board of the Foundation for Jones Hall.
Brett is a graduate of the American Leadership Forum and the Center for Houston’s Future Leadership Forum. He and Erin support many other community organizations, including the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Helping a Hero, and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. Brett is a Fellow of the Texas and Houston Bar Foundations and the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation.