Press Releases

This spring, the University of Texas School of Law will welcome back one of its most distinguished alumni to deliver the commencement address—Texas Supreme Court Justice Jane Bland. Justice Bland, a Co-Chair of the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health (JCMH), is a proud double Longhorn who earned both her undergraduate business degree and law degree at UT. As she prepares to celebrate her 35th law school anniversary, her return marks a full-circle moment.

Four judges successfully completed the JCMH’s Treatment Courts Collaborative, a program which pairs judges who are interested in creating or expanding a treatment court with mentor judges who have an established court in their own jurisdiction. The program concluded on April 4th.

The Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health focuses on the intersection of mental health and the justice system. Together with the Texas Judicial Council, the JCMH developed proposals and served as a resource for the 88th Texas Legislature. As a result of this work, Governor Abbott signed SB 2479 into law. 

TEXAS – A person must be competent to stand trial to protect the rights of people who do not understand the charges against them and cannot assist in their own defense. Like other states across the U.S., Texas faces a growing number of people who are waiting in jail for inpatient services because they have been declared incompetent to stand trial.