Hon. Debra Lehrmann, Chair

Chair; Justice, Supreme Court of Texas 

Justice Debra Lehrmann is the Senior Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court’s longest-serving woman Justice in Texas history. Justice Lehrmann has more than 35 years of judicial experience, including 23 years as a trial judge in Tarrant County prior to her appointment to the Court, and is certified in Judicial Administration by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has also served the Bar in leadership capacities on both a state and national level.

Nationally known, Justice Lehrmann is a past chair of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, a commissioner on the Uniform Law Commission, a member of the American Law Institute, and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has also been an active leader in the Texas legal community for many years; she served as the inaugural chair of the State Bar of Texas Child Protection Law Section and is an emeritus member and past president of the Lloyd Lochridge Inn of Court, a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, a member of the Texas Bar College, a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a charter fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. She speaks frequently at continuing legal education events on a variety of topics throughout the state and country, and she authored Texas Annotated Family Code and Court-Appointed Representation of Children in Texas Family Law Cases—A Practical Guide for Attorneys.

The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions over the years, Justice Lehrmann was most recently honored as the 2025 recipient of the Texas Bar Foundation’s Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award, given each year to a Texas jurist who exhibits “an exceptionally outstanding reputation for competency, efficiency and integrity.” In 2024, she was selected as the University of Houston’s Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Lectureship in Legal Ethics Jurist-in-Residence. She has received the Champion for Children Award in recognition of her years of dedication to helping abused and neglected children; the Texas Women Lawyers Pathfinder Award, given to individuals who have been a champion promoting the advancement of women in the law and who exemplify professionalism, leadership, and commitment to the public interest; the Child Protection Law Section Founder’s Award in recognition of her significant contribution to the establishment of the section; the Tarrant County Parenting Center’s Hand-in-Hand Award for outstanding contribution to improving the lives of children and families; the Judge Eva Barnes Award for dedication and outstanding service to the legal profession; the CASA Scott Moore Award in recognition of her service to children subject to abuse and neglect proceedings; and the Texas Bar Foundation’s recognition for Best Law Review Article. 

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Justice Lehrmann received her undergraduate degree with high honors from The University of Texas, her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law, and her LL.M. degree from Duke Law.

Justice Lehrmann and her husband, attorney Greg Lehrmann, have a wonderful family: sons Gregory and Jonathan, both practicing lawyers, daughter-in-law Sarah, and grandchildren Jack, Haley, and Adeline.