H.R. No. 2813

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Justice Sam Griffith is retiring from the 12th Court
	of Appeals in 2015, drawing to a close a notable tenure on the court
	that has spanned 14 years; and
	WHEREAS, Justice Griffith earned his bachelor's and master's
	degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University, and he received
	his law degree from St. Mary's School of Law; he began his legal
	career as a briefing attorney for Justice Paul S. Colley of the 12th
	Court of Appeals before entering private practice in Tyler; from
	1997 to 1998, he was a juvenile court judge for County Court at Law
	No. 3 of Smith County, and from 1999 through 2000, he returned to
	private practice; he was elected to the 12th Court of Appeals in
	2000 and began his first term on January 1, 2001, and he was
	reelected unopposed in 2006 and 2012; and
	WHEREAS, Board certified in criminal law and criminal
	appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Justice
	Griffith is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Smith County
	Bar Association; he is a member of the Texas Bar Association
	Judicial and Appellate Sections, and he has served on the Texas Bar
	Association Committee on Law Focused Education; he has been
	admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Fifth
	Circuit, and the U.S. Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas; and
	WHEREAS, Justice Griffith has taught U.S. constitutional law
	at Yunnan University School of Law in China and at Koya University
	in Iraq; he has published and delivered articles on a variety of
	topics, from law to social psychology, and he is a regular speaker
	at legal seminars on criminal appeals and evidentiary issues; and
	WHEREAS, Despite his busy professional life, Justice
	Griffith has also found time to dedicate himself to community
	service; he has been chair of the board of directors of the local
	YMCA, secretary of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Smith
	County, and a member of the board of the East Texas Farm and Ranch
	Club; he is active with the East Texas Food Bank food garden, and he
	has won more than 50 ribbons at the East Texas State Fair for the
	vegetables he has grown; and
	WHEREAS, A man of profound religious faith, Justice Griffith
	is also active in Christian missionary work, leading or
	participating in mission trips to Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, El
	Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala; his mission work in Iraq
	earned him the Global Encourager Award from the Global Evangelistic
	Relations Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, and in
	2013, he received the Servant Leadership Award from the Texas
	TeenPact Leadership Schools; and
	WHEREAS, Justice Griffith's professionalism, integrity, and
	dedication to the law have greatly benefited his fellow Texans and
	earned him the respect and admiration of his peers, and he may
	indeed reflect with pride on his service to the 12th Court of
	Appeals as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby congratulate Justice Sam Griffith on his
	retirement from the 12th Court of Appeals and extend to him sincere
	best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Justice Griffith as an expression of high regard by the
	Texas House of Representatives.
	Hughes
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 2813 was adopted by the House on May
	21, 2015, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House