Thomas R. Phillips (born 1949) is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from January 4, 1988 to September 3, 2004. With nearly seventeen years of service, Phillips was the third-longest tenured Chief Justice in Texas history. He was appointed by Governor Bill Clements and was at that time the youngest Chief Justice since Texas became a state. In 1988, he became the first Republican elected Chief Justice in the state's history. Phillips retired in 2004 to pursue other opportunities. Governor Rick Perry appointed Justice Wallace B. Jefferson to succeed him.
Phillips graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas, Texas) (1968), and is a graduate of Baylor University and Harvard Law School.
In 1989, Phillips was inducted into Woodrow Wilson High School's Hall of Fame when it was created in celebration of the school's 60th Anniversary.
In 2010, Phillips and his former judicial colleague, Craig T. Enoch, announced their endorsements of 360th District Court Judge Debra Lehrmann of Fort Worth for the Place 3 seat on the Texas Supreme Court. Lehrmann defeated former State Representative Rick Green for the Republican nomination and now faces the Democrat Jim Sharp in the November 2 general election.
| Preceded by John L. Hill, Jr. |
Texas Supreme Court Justice, Chief Justice 1988-2004 |
Succeeded by Wallace B. Jefferson |