The Honorable John McClellan Marshall
State of Texas – Judiciary; Honorary Professor of Law, UMCS, Lublin, Poland
30 Year Fellow of the Texas Bar College
Judge Marshall is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Vanderbilt University, Southern Methodist University School of Law, and Academia Mexicana de Derecho Internacional.
As an attorney, Judge Marshall was part of a general practice firm that handled civil and family law matters primarily. As the junior partner, he handled the criminal cases. Once on the bench, he served in a municipal court for four years, then in the 14th District Court for civil cases. After retirement, Judge Marshall has sat on Title IV and ASFA courts for three and a half years and as a visiting judge in several parts of the state for 18 years.
Please share some memorable moments from your career.
“Among my most memorable moments are having had the opportunity to serve on the Board of the College and as a member of a civil jury after I was on the bench. Both of these experiences gave me a new perspective on the importance of the jury system and the need for lawyers to stay up-to-date in their profession. More recently, my time teaching American law in Poland for almost 30 years has given me the chance to watch other legal systems in operation and for them to see how ours works, with a lot of learning on both sides.”
What are your hobbies?
“I enjoy traveling and working on my antique sports car. That said, my real hobbies are enjoying my wife and children.”
Do you have any special interests or fun facts you would like to share?
“I have been doing research and writing in relation to the impact of technology on the law and due process, in particular how to evaluate the evidence that is presented that comes from machines.”
Why did you join the College?
“I joined the College because I believe that its mission of encouraging the enhancement of the profession through education is vital at all levels, both bench and bar, and the opportunity to participate in its activities allows me to share in that growth even in retirement (whenever i get there).”
Related articles
TECHNOEVIDENCE: The “Turing Limit” 2020
by The Honorable John McClellan Marshall
Modern technology has had an undeniable impact on a wide range of social institutions. Not the least of these is the legal community and its efforts to seek the truth of a given situation. Once upon a time, indeed for centuries, lawyers were trained to present as “evidence” either oral testimony or physical items that supported their contentions. The 21st Century, however, has confronted attorneys with an entirely new reality.
WHITE WHALE, BLACK SWAN
by The Honorable John McClellan Marshall
“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them… what the O.C. Bible should’ve said is: ‘Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind.” Frank Herbert, The Illustrated Dune (New York: Berkley Windhover, 1978), p. 12.
