John Council, Texas Lawyer
February 14, 2017
President Donald Trump is wasting no time making a big impact on the Texas federal judiciary as a special committee is beginning the process of interviewing at least six of his candidates for two seats on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC), a standing by bipartisan committee of lawyers named by Texas U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, is set to meet Friday in Houston to vet Trump's candidates.
According to four people who are familiar with the process but who declined to be named, the candidates being considered include: Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett; U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor of Fort Worth; former Texas solicitor general James Ho; Andy Oldham, a deputy general counsel to Gov. Greg Abbott; Michael Massengale, a justice on Houston's First Court of Appeals; and Brett Busby, a justice on Houston's Fourteenth Court of Appeals.
All of the candidates have deeply conservative records and are well-recognized among Texas attorneys — two of whom have close connections to Cornyn. Both Cornyn and Cruz sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee and hold powerful sway over judicial appointments in the state.
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202779124278/6-Candidates-Trump-Wants-to-Place-on-the-Fifth-Circuit-Set-for-Vetting?mcode=1202617074964&curindex=0&curpage=ALL&slreturn=20170114215127
