Blacklock is replacing retired Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, while Abbott's legal adviser James Sullivan takes the open spot on the bench.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned on Tuesday that the United States must continue to uphold "judicial independence."

Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, has been named the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Karen Baker on Wednesday declared invalid two per curiam orders her fellow justices issued in the past week, the latest development in an ongoing dispute over the scope of her authority.