The Honorable Martha Hill Jamison Joins the AJS Board

Drake University journalism student and AJS intern Katherine R. Ryan contributed this article.           

Contacted about her recent appointment to the AJS Board of Directors, Judge Martha Hill Jamison, of the 164th District Court in Harris County, Texas, said, “I look forward to working with AJS on judicial selection and other issues facing the third branch of government.” Judge Jamison is the daughter of longtime AJS friend and member Judge John L. Hill, Jr. Judge Hill worked tirelessly for justice, resigning as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court in 1988 to campaign for change in the process of judicial selection in Texas. 

 “State judges are elected in partisan, expensive elections, Jamison said, “Dad felt strongly that the money and political pressures involved in waging these elections adversely impacts the public's perception and confidence in the justice system in Texas.” 

A native Houstonian, Judge Jamison graduated from the University of Texas as the Cactus Outstanding Student, the Outstanding Woman Student, and as a member of the Friar Society. She continued on to the University of Texas Law School, graduating in 1977.  

Board certified in civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Judge Jamison is a Life Fellow at both the Houston and Texas Bar Foundations, and volunteers her time as a cast member of Night Court, which is a fundraiser for the Houston Bar Foundation. A member of the Court Administration Task Force of the State Bar of Texas, Judge Jamison supports the Institute for Civility in Government.  

Judge Jamison was a founding board member and is a former Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators. She is a former board member of the College of the State Bar and served as past president of the Houston Chapter of the Association of Attorney-Mediators. 

Since 1999, Judge Jamison has served as the judge for the 164th District Court in Harris County, Texas. She has served as Administrative Judge for the 25 courts in the Civil Division since 2006. Prior to 2006, she chaired the Legislative Committee and served on the Civil Division Rules Committee for the 59 district courts in all divisions. 

Highly active in the Texas legal system, Judge Jamison also champions civic organizations around Houston. Currently, she is involved with the Regional Steering Committee for Young Life and serves on the U.S. Board of Directors for Casa MAMI Mx, which is an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. Previously, Jamison acted as a KidsHope USA mentor for Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, as an American Field Service Host Family, and a Parent Leader for Odyssey of the Mind.               

Judge Hill was the co-chair for the 2007 AJS Justice Award Dinner honoring Thomas R. Phillips. He served on the AJS Board of Directors from 2001 until his unexpected death on July 9, 2007. Judge Jamison has agreed to serve out her father’s term on the AJS Board. 

“I am proud to complete the unexpired term on the AJS Board of Directors of my father, the late Judge John L. Hill, Jr.,” Jamison said. “AJS and its mission were very important to my dad.”