Annual Report - 2001
Legacy Story - Lucius Bunton

He loved West Texas and West Texans with no regard to their color, gender or language. A stickler for decorum in the courtroom, he required men to wear coats and ties and women to dress modestly – whether they were jurors, witnesses, or just spectators. Yet he was equally firm in his refusal to allow law enforcement officers to wear uniforms, which might intimidate some people already nervous about a trial proceeding.

Lucius D. Bunton grew up on a ranch near Marfa, and after serving his country on the battlefields of World War II, earned a law degree from the University of Texas. He spent virtually his entire career in West Texas. In 1979, he was appointed to be the federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, a position he served until his death in early 2001.

“He was truly a unique jurist with an unwavering sense of fair justice under the law,” said attorney Michele Greene, who was a summer law clerk for Judge Bunton.

During his more than 20 years on the bench, he held court over some of Texas’ most memorable legal trials and kept proceedings moving at such a fast pace that lawyers called his court a “rocket docket”. He would often require attorneys to appear in court at 7:30 a.m., and he habitually worked through the lunch hour.

In spite of his penchant for efficiency in the courtroom, Judge Bunton was known for his wonderful sense of humor. And he was generous in taking time to counsel with young lawyers.

“He taught me a lot about the law, but more importantly about how to practice with integrity and honor,” said Steve Hershberger, a Midland attorney who as a young lawyer served as a law clerk for the judge. “He was a great father figure.”

The Judge Lucius Bunton Memorial Law Scholarship Fund was established in honor and memory of this “unique jurist” who served our region for so many year.