Longview lawyer appointed to fill vacancy on Texarkana appeals court

Charles van Cleef
Charles van Cleef

TEXARKANA, Texas -- Gov. Greg Abbott announced the appointment Monday of Longview, Texas, lawyer Charles van Cleef to fill a vacancy on the 6th Court of Appeals in Texarkana.

Van Cleef will fill the Place 3 position vacated earlier this year by Ralph Burgess of Texarkana. Burgess is now in private practice.

Van Cleef brings more than 30 years of experience as both a trial and appellate attorney to the bench. He joins Chief Justice Josh Morriss and Place 2 Associate Justice Scott Stevens on the court that serves 19 Texas counties by ruling on lower court decisions in civil and criminal cases.

"I'm deeply honored to have been appointed and so grateful that the governor placed that trust in me," van Cleef said Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to returning to Texarkana."

The 6th Court of Appeals is headquartered in Texarkana in the downtown Bi-State Justice Building.

Van Cleef is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Bar Association of the Federal Fifth Circuit Court, and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Additionally, he is a former member of the Gregg County Bail Bond Board and the Tyler Planning and Zoning Committee. Van Cleef received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from South Texas College of Law.

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