Many people know Judge R. Jack Cagle as Cactus Jack Cagle. Whichever name you know him by, you should know he is a skilled and experienced legal scholar with deep roots in our community. He was elected Judge of Harris County Civil Court-at-Law No. 1 in a special election in November 2000. Voters returned him to office for full, four-year terms in 2002 and 2006.Since taking office, Judge Cagle has presided over more than 650 civil jury trials involving a wide spectrum of matters. He has been recognized for excellence in his service by several organizations. Among those honors are:
- Civil Judge of the Year Award from Police Officers Looking Into Courthouse Excellence, Inc. (P.O.L.I.C.E., Inc.) - 2001
- Amicus Award from the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston - 2003
- Houston Police Officers Union Civil Judge of the Year - 2004
Judge Cagle also serves our community by making sure that future generations of attorneys get the best possible training. He serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center and is a frequent lecturer at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs for attorneys. He has taught programs at: South Texas College of Law; Southern Methodist University Law School; St. Mary’s College of Law and has served on the faculties of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Dallas and Houston.
His desire to serve our community continues to lead him to take on additional responsibilities within our court system. He currently serves as the Gulf Coast Regional Representative for Harris County’s Courts at Law. Prior to that, he served with distinction as the Administrative Judge for Harris County’s Civil Courts-at-Law.
Judge Cagle, who graduated from Rice University with a triple major and from Baylor School of Law, started serving the public even before he finished law school. As an intern for the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, he participated in case work on the notorious Lake Waco murders and on cases involving the infamous killer Henry Lee Lucas.
Prior to his election to the bench, Judge Cagle ran a thriving private practice and was the attorney-of-record in more than 600 cases. He has experience litigating in multiple arenas of law – commercial, real estate, constitutional, personal injury, probate, family, juvenile justice and criminal law and has successfully tried cases across the great state of Texas.
While in private practice, Harris County judges recognized Judge Cagle’s expertise and his heart for service. He was frequently appointed to serve as attorney ad litem in civil, juvenile, family and probate cases and helped scores of litigants resolve cases “out of court” as a certified mediator.
Judge Cagle has been married to his wife, Janet, for 27 years. They have three children – Richard, a football player attending Vanderbilt University; Victoria, an aspiring ballerina; and Elizabeth, a soccer player. The family attends the Cypress Campus of Second Baptist Church where Cactus serves as a Bible study teacher and as a small group leader.
Judge Cagle is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys backpacking, canoeing and hunting. He also enjoys playing bass guitar, reading classical literature and watching football.