The Patrick A. Nester Outstanding Achievement in CLE Award

2021 Recipient – Justice Brett Busby

Brett Busby was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in February 2019, confirmed unanimously by the Texas Senate, and elected to a full term in November 2020.  An experienced appellate litigator, Brett was a partner at the Bracewell firm in Houston and served on the Texas 14th Court of Appeals for six years and on the Texas Multi-District Litigation Panel before joining the Supreme Court.

Brett is a seventh-generation Texan and third-generation Eagle Scout who grew up in Amarillo and Austin.  After graduating with high honors from Duke University and Columbia Law School, he served as a law clerk to Justices Byron R. White (Ret.) and John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court, and Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.

In private practice, Brett argued one case and briefed many others in the U.S. Supreme Court.  He also handled dozens of appeals in the Supreme Court of Texas and the federal and state courts of appeals before taking the bench.  Super Lawyers Magazine named Brett one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas in 2012, and Chambers and Partners recognized him as a leading Texas appellate lawyer.  He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a former adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School, where he taught the U.S. Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.

Brett works to improve the justice system and legal profession.  In 2018, his fellow Texas appellate lawyers elected him as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, and the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists named him their Appellate Judge of the Year.  He works closely with the Texas Access to Justice Commission, which helps assure that Texans with limited means have access to basic civil legal services.  He previously served as Chair of the State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges (Business, Consumer, Insurance, and Employment) and as a Director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association.  He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and frequently speaks at continuing legal education conferences.

Brett is also active in his community.  A life-long violinist, he served for many years on the Houston Symphony Board, where he chaired the Artistic Affairs Committee and the Music Director Selection Committee.  Brett is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum and has served on the board of the Post Oak School.

Brett and his wife, Erin, met as clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court.  They have two children.