“Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty.” - John Adams
The Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas
- Texas Legends Series - features the stories of legendary Texas trial attorneys such as Joe Jamail and Broadus Spivey.
- Our Courthouse - narrated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, presents the stories of jurors, parties, lawyers and judges to educate the public and Texas high school students about the importance of the judicial branch of government and jury service.
Oyez, Oyez, OH YAY! Civics Resources for Texas Students and Teachers - Landmark cases that Texas students need to know from the State Bar of Texas
Hot Coffee - Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman ranked it in his top ten list. And more than fifteen years later, its infamy continues. Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts?Hot Coffee reveals what really happened to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s, while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention, who funded the effort and to what end. After seeing this film, you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee.
TAKE ACTION - Protect your access to the civil justice system.
Some organizations working to protect the civil justice system (from Hot Coffee):
- The Center for Justice and Democracy is the only national consumer organization in the country exclusively dedicated to protecting our civil justice system. Has numerous fact sheets on caps, mandatory arbitration, and other civil justice issues.
- Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the Executive Branch and the courts.
- Alliance for Justice is a national association of more than 100 organizations dedicated to advancing justice and democracy.
- Justice at Stake leads a nonpartisan partnership of 50 organizations fighting for fair and impartial courts through public education, litigation and reform.
- Consumer Watchdog is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an effective voice for taxpayers and consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics.
- Public Justice is Americas public interest law firm, which uses creative litigation, public education, and innovative work with the broader public interest community.
- Texans for Public Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit policy and research organization that tracks the influence of money in politics.
- Texas Watch is a non-partisan citizen advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that corporations and insurance companies are accountable to their customers.