WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2026--
Wallace B. Jefferson, the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, was installed today as president of the American Law Institute at the close of the Institute's 2026 annual meeting.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521094088/en/
Jefferson begins a three-year term leading the nation's leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to clarifying, modernizing, and improving the law for the better administration of justice.
Jefferson, who continues his appellate practice with Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP, was elected to the role in January 2026. He succeeds David F. Levi, the former dean of Duke Law School and a former United States district judge, who led ALI from 2017.
ReadChief Justice Jefferson’s views on ALI's mission, deliberation in a divided era, access to justice, and the state-court perspective he brings to the presidency.
The American Law Institute was founded in 1923, focused on “clarifying, modernizing, and improving the law for the better administration of justice." "At a time when the country is divided, ALI is a place where leading judges, lawyers, and scholars come together around a common mission,” says Jefferson. “We can disagree vigorously, but through intellectual debate and compromise, we produce work that is cited in courtrooms, in legislatures, in government offices and in law firms. That is a good model for how Americans can and should be talking to each other."
Jefferson was elected to the American Law Institute in December 2001 and to its council in May 2011. He served as the Institute's treasurer from 2014 to 2023. He has been an adviser on the Third Restatement, Consumer Contracts, Principles on the Law of High-Volume Civil Adjudication, and Election Litigation Restatement.
"Wallace brings ALI a rare combination of intellectual depth, practical wisdom, and a lifelong commitment to justice," said Marcy Hogan Greer, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson’s managing partner and an ALI member. "His service on the Supreme Court, his advocacy for clients, and his leadership roles in state and national organizations have always reflected ALI's highest purpose: to make the law fair, accessible, and grounded in reason. We are honored to support him in this new role."
At the close of the annual meeting, Jefferson paid tribute to Levi.
"Judge David Levi has guided ALI with wisdom, patience, and an unwavering belief in the power of the law to hold our democracy together," Jefferson said. "He has reminded us, through his leadership of ALI and as founding Director Duke University's Bolch Judicial Institute, that consensus is possible, even on difficult questions, when people of goodwill listen, learn, and reason together. David leaves behind a stronger, more resilient organization, and I am profoundly grateful for his mentorship and example."
Jefferson's installation continues a long Texas presence within the American Law Institute. That tradition includes the late Charles Alan Wright, the eminent University of Texas law professor and former President of the American Law Institute, whose scholarship and service helped shape modern American jurisprudence. At this year’s annual meeting, Senior Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit received the John Minor Wisdom Award, one of ALI's highest honors, given from time to time in recognition of exceptional service to the law or to the Institute. Like Jefferson, King is a former treasurer of ALI and a longtime member of its council. ALI's current director, Chief Judge Diane P. Wood, is also a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
About Alexander Dubose & Jefferson
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson provides a modern, collaborative approach to litigation and appeals, combining deep appellate experience with strategic trial support. With offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, the firm's lawyers include Jefferson, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, a former Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston, several former staff attorneys, law clerks, and professors. The firm holds a Band 1 ranking from Chambers USA and has multiple attorneys recognized among America's leading lawyers.
Learn more at https://www.adjtlaw.com.
Wallace B. Jefferson
NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.
The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.
On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."
Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”
A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.
“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.
The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”
“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.
The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”
Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.
The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”
“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”
The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”
Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.
Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.
Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.
The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”
“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”
The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.
“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
