Justice James P. Sullivan was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2025.

Before joining the Court, Justice Sullivan served as General Counsel to Governor Abbott and as Assistant Solicitor General under then-Attorney General Abbott. He also worked as an appellate litigator in private practice and as an adjunct professor at George Mason University.

Justice Sullivan was a law clerk to Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he was an Articles Editor on the Harvard Law Review. Justice Sullivan lives in Austin with his wife, Alithea, and their son.