Don Willett

About

Don Willett is a lawyer, politician, and Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During his time as a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Willett was well-known for his use of Twitter, on which he shared tweets on a variety of topics including history, dad jokes, pop culture, his family, sports, politics and internet memes.

Online History

In 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed Willett to the Texas Supreme Court.^[1] Willett has won reelection twice to six-year terms, first in 2006^[2] and then in 2012.^[3] Willet joined Twitter in 2009 as part of his second reelection campaign but continued using the social media platform to remain connected to voters while also striving to "demystify and humanize the judiciary."^[4] When asked to explain the notoriety he gained from Twitter, Willett stated, "I think people just find it remarkable that a high court justice would step out from behind the bench and have a persona that’s not the traditional, stodgy, fuddy-duddy persona, but actually comes across as authentic and engaging."^[4]

Tweeter Laureate of Texas

Texas became the first state to name an official "Tweeter Laureate" in 2015, conferring the title to Justice Willett.^[5] In 2016, Justice Willett participated in a symposium by the Georgia State University Law Review on "Invisible Justices: Supreme Court Transparency in the Age of Social Media."^[6] Willett's social media use has been covered by a variety of sources, including The New York Times,^[7] Law360,^[4] Time,^[8] Huffington Post,^[9] Washington Post,^[12] and others.

Trump Criticism & Supreme Court Shortlist

During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump included Justice Willett on his shortlist of potential nominees to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court.^[10] Willett's inclusion was notable in that he had repeatedly poked fun at Trump on Twitter, and news outlets highlighted several of those tweets.^[11]

Appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals & Retirement from Twitter

On September 28, 2017, Trump nominated Willett to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.^[13] Following his appoint, Willett took an extended hiatus from Twitter during his confirmation hearings.^[14] The United States Senate confirmed Willett's appointment on December 13, 2017,^[15] after which Willett temporarily returned to Twitter.^[16]

The brief return notwithstanding, Willett's presence on Twitter has steadily decreased following his appointment. In an interview published by Law360 on September 11, 2019. Willett explained that he is still on Twitter "lurking--as are many federal judges, including some on SCOTUS. But I’m just consuming, not creating."^[17] Willett further explained that he still uses Twitter for news, but that he considers it to be"a toxic cesspool most days; too much venomous snarling & sneering."^[17] When asked if he would ever return to Twitter, Willett replied that he would not:

Prognosis: negative. As a state judge campaigning for office, it was political malpractice not to leverage social media smartly. I loved demystifying & humanizing the inscrutable judiciary. But today Twitter = an aggregator of trollery & vitriol. Pro tip: follow @IvePetThatDog.

Search Interest

External References