Princeton, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday reappointed all ten judges of the Texas Business Court to new two-year terms that begin September 1, keeping the specialized court's full inaugural bench in place.
The Texas Business Court, created by House Bill 19 in 2023, is a statewide trial court built to handle complex commercial disputes. The governor's office said the reappointed judges have presided over hundreds of filings and resolved scores of cases since taking the bench in September 2024.
The ten judges serve across five divisions. Andrea Bouressa of Murphy and William Whitehill of Coppell sit in the First Division. Melissa Andrews and Patrick K. Sweeten, both of Austin, serve in the Third. Marialyn Barnard and Stacy Sharp of San Antonio make up the Fourth. Jerry Bullard of Colleyville and Brian Stagner of Fort Worth sit in the Eighth, and Sofia Adrogue of Houston and Grant Dorfman of Bellaire serve in the Eleventh.
Before joining the court, the judges worked as district and appellate judges, law firm partners, state agency counsel and law school instructors. Bouressa previously led the 471st Judicial District Court in Collin County, Whitehill is a former justice on the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas, and Barnard spent a decade on the Fourth Court of Appeals.
In announcing the reappointments, Abbott said the court's track record with commercial cases supports the state's standing with employers. His office said the court has drawn national attention as a model for resolving business disputes.
