South Texas native David Morales confirmed to federal judge seat by U.S. Senate

An attorney with ties to Robstown and Corpus Christi has been confirmed as the newest federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, according to a news release.

David Morales was confirmed Wednesday to fill the vacancy, which has been open since 2011 when U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack took senior status. Morales was nominated by President Donald Trump in April 2018 for the seat, but his nomination was left pending at the end of the year.

He was later re-nominated, with his confirmation one of several to take place this week in the U.S. Senate.

“I am delighted my Senate colleagues have confirmed David Morales to the federal bench,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement. “His wealth of experience, coupled with his dedication to the rule of law and principled professionalism will serve Texans in Corpus Christi and the Southern District well.”

Cruz worked with Morales when both were at the Texas attorney general's office before Greg Abbott left to become governor after the 2014 election.

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Morales was born in Edinburg, but his family moved to Robstown when he was less than a year old. He grew up in the small agricultural community, attending school at St. John Nepomucene Catholic School through eighth grade. Morales then attended high school at Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, from which he graduated in 1986.

Sen. John Cornyn and Cruz said in the release that Morales' nomination was a result of their recommendation following an "extensive" review and interview process by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee. The group was established by the two senators, the release states, to help identify qualified candidates for judicial vacancies.

Morales began his career as a law clerk for the Office of the Attorney General in 1994 and spent the next 17 years working his way up through the ranks of the office. He eventually served as deputy attorney general for civil litigation, deputy first assistant attorney general and general counsel to Gov. Rick Perry.

It was that role as deputy attorney general for civil litigation that drew attention for Morales in 2016, when the Dallas Morning News wrote a story that reported his 2010 decision to not pursue a $5.4 million lawsuit against Trump and Trump University for allegedly teaching "useless information" irrelevant to the state's housing market.

An ex-staffer in the attorney general's office claimed in the article that the decision was politically motivated, but Morales strongly denied that was the case. He said he made the decision without input from then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is now governor, and claimed any assertion otherwise was "false."

Morales is currently a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP, where his practice focuses on complex litigation, administrative law, as well as public and higher education law.

“In David, President Trump has selected a highly-trained lawyer who has spent his career mastering complex legal issues and serving the people of Texas,” Cornyn said in a statement. “The Corpus Christi community and the entire Southern District of Texas will benefit from his outstanding experience."

Morales earned his bachelor of business administration degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin and his juris doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio.

Tim Acosta covers the Port of Corpus Christi, county and city government stories for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.