Texas Tribune Festival 2019

Platoff is a justice and politics reporter for The Texas Tribune. She is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News and a former intern at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Hartford Courant. Platoff is a graduate of Yale University.

Hecht was appointed chief justice by then-Gov. Rick Perry in 2013. First elected to the state’s high court in 1988, he is the longest-serving Texas Supreme Court member in history. In this role, Hecht has led the court’s efforts to ensure Texans have access to basic civil legal... Read More →

Leach, R-Plano, has represented House District 67 since 2013. He serves as chair of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee and sits on the Pensions, Investments & Financial Services and Redistricting committees. He also serves on the board of trustees for Houston Baptist... Read More →

Minjarez, D-San Antonio, has represented House District 124 since a 2015 special election. She sits on the House Appropriations, Land & Resource Management and Redistricting committees. She was also appointed by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg as a community representative to the... Read More →

Payne was elected as a civil district judge in Harris County in 2018. She has been a civil trial lawyer for nearly 18 years and is a co-founding partner of Trahan Kornegay Payne LLP. Previously, she worked as a partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. Payne is a board member and past... Read More →