Professor James Hambleton has been a member of the faculty since 1991. Professor Hambleton began his service to the law school as an automation and law library consultant and then joined the faculty full-time as the director of the law library and professor of law. Professor Hambleton served in this capacity until 2001 when he assumed responsibilities for the law school budget. Professor Hambleton returned to full-time teaching in 2010.
Professor Hambleton’s scholarship focuses on Texas law and legal history. Of particular interest is the development of the Texas judicial system from 1890 on, when a unique notation system was developed to indicate the weight of authority of intermediate courts of appeals opinions. This system has come under strain as electronic technology facilitates the publication of “unpublished” opinions and as the courts lose control of the stream of opinions that become part of the jurisprudence of the state. Court rules in the last few years have attempted to redefine case authority with mixed results. His research also involves an analysis of the history of the Texas rules of civil procedure as they relate to the disposition and publication of Texas cases.
