Texas Judge Loses Extra Pay Challenge Against Commissioners

Texas law grants commissioners the authority and discretion to decide whether to pay a local administrative statutory probate judge extra salary for her dual services as an administrative judge, the state high court said.

Reversing a lower court’s decision in favor of the judge, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected Judge Kimberly Sullivan’s contention that the Galveston County Commissioners Court acted outside the law when they failed to approve her supplementary salary from the county’s “contributions fund.”

Sullivan has worked as Galveston County’s single statutory probate court judge since 2011. Sullivan also serves as the county’s local administrative statutory ...