Abbott appoints Judge Mike Wallach, Fort Worth native, to 2nd Court of Appeals
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Mike Wallach to the Texas Second Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
A Fort Worth native, Wallach will be leaving his position as a judge on the 348th Judicial District Court in Tarrant County.
“It is a very important judicial post, and it’s certainly (an) honor for the governor of the state of Texas to think that you’re well qualified and someone he’s willing to entrust the law of the state of Texas to,” Wallach said. “It provides an opportunity to help provide some instructive input into the development of the law.”
Abbott also announced his intention to appoint Megan Fahey, an assistant U.S. attorney in the office’s civil and criminal divisions, to replace Wallach after his formal resignation.
Wallach said he plans to be sworn in this weekend, and take the bench by next week.
The 2nd Court of Appeals is based in Forth Worth and is made up of seven judges who have jurisdiction over appeals from district and county courts in 12 counties, including Tarrant.
Wallach’s appointment fills the vacancy left by Judge Mark T. Pittman’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas after he was nominated by President Donald Trump.
The state Senate normally approves such appointments, but because Wallach and Fahey were appointed when lawmakers aren’t in session, they will serve through 2020. During the 2020 elections, Wallach will have the choice to run to fill the remainder of Pittman’s term, which is set to expire in 2024, and Fahey can run to continue to serve on district court.
Wallach said he plans to run.
“Since the people of Texas get a chance to vote on me, they in effect are doing the confirmation process directly instead of the legislature doing it,” Wallach said.
Wallach has served as a judge for the 348th Judicial District Court since 2017, defeating Fort Worth civil attorney Joe Drago to replace Judge Dana Womack who had sat on the bench since 1997.
During his time as a state district judge, Wallach ordered the city of Grapevine to stop its ban on short-term rentals and declined to appoint a receiver to help the owners of Billy Bob’s Texas mediate their differences.
Before that, Wallach spent over 37 years as an attorney. The first 12 were with the law firm Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, until Wallach left to start his own practice in 1991, according to his campaign website.
Wallach said he’s proud of his Fort Worth roots, and that he hopes to continue to hold fairness and impartialness as some of his highest values.
“It’s important that judges apply the law as opposed to create the law,” Wallach said. “We’re not there to legislate from the bench.”
A graduate from TCU, Wallach earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law School.
Fahey, who is expected to replace Wallach, previously worked as an associate attorney for Bracewell LLP and Jenner & Block, LLC. A graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, Fahey received her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
