Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Jeff Boyd, his chief of staff, to a vacated position on the Texas Supreme Court on Monday.

Boyd is Perry’s 11th appointment to the Supreme Court since he took office in 2000.

“His addition to the court will continue to protect the rule of law and further the tradition of defending the freedoms that Texans so vigorously uphold,” Perry stated in a press release Monday.

Boyd will replace Dale Wainwright, who resigned in September to practice law in the private sector. The Texas Senate will confirm or reject his appointment when it reconvenes in January.

Before Perry appointed Boyd chief of staff in October 2011, he served as general counsel to the governor’s office.

In April, Perry appointed Buddy Garcia to the Texas Railroad Commission after Garcia served as a commissioner on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a governor-appointed position. In June, Perry appointed Jeff Moseley to the Texas Transportation Commission. Perry previously appointed Mosely executive director of the Economic Development and Tourism Department for the Office of the Governor.

Boyd also served as deputy attorney general for civil litigation under Texas attorneys general Greg Abbott and John Cornyn. Cornyn is currently a U.S. Senator.

Boyd previously practiced law at Thompson & Knight, a Dallas-based law firm with international offices. James Cousar, an attorney who worked with Boyd at Thompson & Knight’s Austin office, said Boyd specialized in civil litigation involving business disputes and regulatory law involving state and federal regulation of businesses.

He said Boyd also has a consistent record of representing low-income clients while he served as president and a board member of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, an organization that provides free legal advice and representation to low-income citizens.

“He is an individual with a strong social conscience and a strong sense of social justice,” Cousar said.

Printed on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 as: Perry names chief of staff to Supreme Court