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Dallas, Texas  ·  Complex Commercial Litigation

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Portrait of Hon. Bill Whitehill

Hon. Bill Whitehill

Judge · Seat 1B

Texas Business Court · First Business Court Division (Dallas)

Biography

Bill Whitehill is an inaugural Judge of the Texas Business Court First Division, Dallas. He came to the Court from Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he was a member and led the firm’s Appellate Section. Before joining the Business Court, Bill served as a Justice on the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, where he authored over 600 substantive opinions. Bill was an associate and partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, now known as Foley & Lardner, LLP for thirty-three years. At Gardere, he handled commercial, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, and fiduciary trials and appeals. He is a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation. He is a homeless kitchen volunteer for Cornerstone Baptist Church and is a former co-teacher and mentor at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy. Bill received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor with honors from the SMU Dedman School of Law and an Order of the Coif member.

Source: txcourts.gov

Opinions by Judge Whitehill (1)

Removal Procedure ×
2026 Tex. Bus. 55 Jurisdiction & Remand August 05, 2026

Rule 202 Pre-Suit Discovery Petitions Are Removable 'Actions' Under Section 25A.006(d)

In In re Radical Hoops, the Business Court denied a motion to remand a Rule 202 pre-suit deposition petition removed from district court, rejecting petitioners' argument that such petitions are not removable "actions" under Government Code § 25A.006(d). The court held that the Texas Supreme Court defines "action" broadly to include any proceeding where a party seeks to enforce a claimed right, encompassing Rule 202 petitions.

Mem. Op. Subject-Matter Jurisdiction Removal & Remand Section 25A.006(d) Rule 202 Pre-Suit Discovery Opinion PDF ↓