Justice Sarah Beth Landau

02/07/2021

Judging a national moot court semi-final from my living room.

01/14/2021

HBA Appellate Section Diversity Panel

I was honored to speak to the Houston Bar Association Appellate Section with Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Court of Appeals Justice Gina Benavides about improving diversity and inclusion in the profession.

01/10/2021

Found this reminder of where I came from. Senator Paul Wellstone was my first political campaign, one of my first real jobs, and probably the reason I got into law school. We could all use a little PDW energy (kindness, decency, solidarity) right about now.

12/15/2020

Love is not cancelled, even in a pandemic! Congratulations and best wishes, Camila and Patrick!

12/04/2020

Went back to my teaching roots to judge a negotiation competition at Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law. The students were so good, I assumed they were 3Ls. Nope, just 1Ls! Pic one is an action shot and two is on break.

11/03/2020

Harris Votes

Happy Election Day! Info about voting in Harris County: 1) You can vote at *any polling place* in your county from now until 7 pm (2) METRO is giving free rides to the polls (3) Drive-thru voting is at Toyota Center only (4) find sample ballot info, wait times, and more harrisvotes.com

Welcome From County Clerk!Harris County is stronger when we all vote. This website contains important information to ensure voters have what they need to cast their ballot.The electoral process is at its strongest when our community is informed and engaged. As the Chief Elections Officer of Harris C...

10/14/2020

Just voted! 10 minutes total. Downtown is always easy.

09/19/2020

It is hard to say in a few words how much Ruth Bader Ginsburg meant to our country. To me, she was proof that the law, the bench, was not just for other people, but also for me. The first female tenured professor at my law school, an effective litigator for equality, despite not fitting the mold, the first Jewish woman on the Supreme Court, she made a promise during her confirmation hearing that all judges should aspire to: “I will get it right and keep it tight.” I try to do that every day. Thank you for your faithful service, Justice Ginsburg. I like thinking of you on vacation with Justice Scalia.

07/24/2020

Today we welcome a new colleague to the First Court of Appeals! Welcome Justice Adams!

06/30/2020

First remote oral argument today. If you want to watch the next one live or view previous arguments, check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDAyebRKtqp8Wdobo8HZXNw/

05/30/2020

Amid the sadness, some happiness. Congratulations and best wishes, Ellie and Hiep!

03/06/2020

A great way to end the week! Congratulations and best wishes Kassandra and Osvaldo!

03/05/2020

Learning about upcoming changes to the voting process in Harris County. New machines coming for 2022!

02/16/2020

Though politics can be, equality is never a drag!

02/10/2020

Homepage | Harris County District Attorney's Office

‪People with criminal history: Resolve pending warrants, get free legal assistance with expunctions and non-disclosure of criminal records, and look for jobs with second-chance employers! This Saturday, February 15, 2020, 9:00-3:00 George R. Brown. https://app.dao.hctx.net/‬

Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. For additional information please review our Privacy Policy and our Accessibility Statement.

01/26/2020

Democrat of the Decade, Brazoria County!

01/11/2020

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I was sworn in! I’m proudest of giving extra care of those cases that are easy to overlook and opening the court to weddings for the public. Thank you for the opportunity. I try every day to earn the trust you placed in me.

01/03/2020

My 2019 by the numbers
-164 cases decided
-15% reversal rate in civil cases, 11.8% reversal in criminal cases
-3 dissents
-1 civil mandamus granted
-1 criminal mandamus granted (first in 5 years)
-1 en banc opinion
Thanks to the First Court of Appeals (especially my attorneys) for a wonderful first year!

12/20/2019

Happy Holidays from the Court of Appeals! Thanks to everyone at the Court who made such a wonderful inaugural year possible!

12/15/2019

We got the (campaign) band back together to spread some holiday cheer in South Brazoria County! Yes, it’s a group judicial karaoke action shot. 📷: Scott F.

12/09/2019

Landau for Justice

12/07/2019

First Saturday wedding and the weather was idyllic! The bride asked if she could give me a hug (absolutely!). Best wishes to Juo Mei and Frank for a long and happy life together!

12/06/2019

Happy Friday!

12/06/2019

Taking a break from 20-issue briefs and interlocking code provisions to celebrate the season. 📷: JC

10/28/2019

If you’ve recently passed the Texas Bar, congratulations, and I’d be happy to swear you in! Just drop me a note here or call the First Court of Appeals.

10/25/2019

Although the Court couldn’t accommodate this couple’s request to have sparklers accompany them out of the building, Greg and Latia had a beautiful wedding! Congratulations and best wishes! Not pictured: the most adorable toddler guests.

10/19/2019

Job Opportunities | Travis County Jobs Online

Did you know Travis County is opening a Public Defender’s Office? Did you know they are hiring a Chief Public Defender? Now you do. Tell your criminal defense friends!

You can now apply online by clicking on the job title you are interested in and clicking on the "Apply" link! If this is the first time you are applying using our online job application, you will need to create an account and select a Username and Password. After your account has been established, y...

10/18/2019

At the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists panel featuring a few of the new judges on the courts of appeals. Judge Sylvia Matthews introducing moderator Justice Jennings, me, Justice Hightower, Justice Poissant and Justice Hassan. What a fun night even though we had to compete with the Astros! 📷: Peter Kelly

10/04/2019

Justice Frances Bourliot and I had a great time presenting to the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association yesterday on error preservation. You can have the best appellate issue in the world but if no one objected sufficiently, it’s a non-starter.

09/24/2019

Study: Texas appellate courts getting fairer to plaintiffs

Texas appellate courts “getting fairer” with election of new judges.

A new report shows that appellate judges in Texas are so far this year reversing lower court litigation decisions equally for defendants and plaintiffs, a dramatic shift from only one year ago.

08/29/2019

Official photo for the First Court of Appeals!

08/09/2019

This happy couple made me tear up today! Congratulations, Tiffani and Jered!

08/07/2019

Thank you, Harris County civil district judges, for inviting me to present about error in the court of appeals! A quick stop for frozen café au lait later and I was back on the road to deciding cases.

07/27/2019

Harris County reaches landmark settlement over ‘unconstitutional’ bail system

A new era for criminal justice in Harris County.

Commissioners could vote as early as Tuesday on the proposed deal.

07/20/2019

With the Texas contingent in Chicago for the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence’s appellate judicial decision-making seminar.