New Judge Appointed to Oversee Texas Silica MDL

HOUSTON - A new judge has been appointed to oversee pretrial discovery in the Texas Silica Products Liability MDL. In Re: Silica Products Liability Litigation, No. 04-0606 (Texas Dist. Ct., Harris Cty.).

According to an order entered Dec. 4 in the Texas Supreme Court, Judge Joseph J. "Tad" Halbach Jr. has replaced Judge Tracy Christopher as the silica MDL court's presiding judge in Harris County District Court.

Halbach, a Republican, retained his 333rd District seat by a 350-vote margin in the 2008 election.

The Texas Silica Products Liability Litigation docket was established in November 2004 after several defendants moved …