Justice Sam Griffith to Retire Next Year

TYLER — Justice Sam Griffith has announced his plans to retire from the Twelfth Court of Appeals early in 2015. According to a news release from the Twelfth Court of Appeals, Griffith, 63, was elected to serve on the court in 2000. He began his service on January 1, 2001, joining then-Chief Justice Leonard Davis and Justice Jim Worthen. In his first term, he also served with Louie Gohmert, before his election to Congress, and former Justice Diane DeVasto. In 2006, Griffith was unopposed as he was reelected to a second six-year term. That same year, he and Worthen were joined on the court by Justice Brian Hoyle. The three have now served together for over eight years. Griffith was again reelected in 2012 unopposed.

Griffith resides in Starrville on the working farm that has been in the family since 1872. His community involvement has included being Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Y.M.C.A. of Tyler/Smith County; Secretary and member of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Smith County; and member of the board of the East Texas Farm and Ranch Club. He has also been actively involved with the East Texas Food Bank�s four-acre food garden from its inception, which, in its first four years of production, has produced over 173,000 pounds (over eighty-six tons) of fresh vegetables for the hungry of East Texas. He has also won over fifty ribbons from the East Texas State Fair for vegetables he has raised.

Griffith has taught U.S. Constitutional Law at Yunnan University School of Law in Kunming, the People�s Republic of China, and during the first of his three mission trips to Iraq, taught U.S. Constitutional Law at Koya University in Koya, Iraq. He has also written, delivered, or published articles on topics ranging from law to social psychology, from farming to devotionals, and including �Debt Liability of Marital Property in Texas,� published in the The Community Property Journal.

Griffith has also led or participated in mission trips in Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala, and is involved in a water well digging ministry in South Sudan through which he has provided twelve water wells. In 2011, he received a �Global Encourager� award from the Global Evangelistic Relations Committee for the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention for his mission work in Iraq. He received the 2013 �Servant Leadership Award� from the Texas TeenPact Leadership Schools.

According to the news release, Griffith plans to focus on his Christian mission work after he leaves the court. He also plans to complete several writing projects and to spend more time on his Starrville farm. Current Chief Justice Worthen said, �The Twelfth Court of Appeals will greatly miss Justice Griffith. He has been a wonderful colleague for these fourteen years and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.�