Overview
Jarod Stewart and Patrick Fields co-authored an article that appeared in Texas Lawyer, "Update: A New Era for Summary Judgment Practice in Texas Courts." The article is an update to an earlier Texas Lawyer article written by the pair titled "A New Era for Summary Judgment Practice in Texas Courts."
On Dec. 30, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued an order granting preliminary approval to amendments to Rule 166a of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The proposed amendments, expected to be effective on March 1, 2026, introduce broad changes to the language and structure of Rule 166a. As the order recognizes, "Rule 166a has been completely rewritten." Among the critical changes, the amended rule revises the timing and sequence of briefing to a 21- and 7-day response/reply format, aligns deadlines for court action with the new requirements of Section 23.303 of the Texas Government Code, streamlines and neatens the different procedures applicable to "traditional" vs. "no-evidence" motions, and introduces new ancillary requirements.
Read the article at Texas Lawyer.
