The Disappearing Lawyer

A Texas appeals court takes on Judge Cynthia Terry of Tarrant County's 325th District Court, who fired an indigent father's court-appointed appellate lawyer mid-appeal—after his opening brief was already filed. The problem? The Family Code lets only three people ask the court to revisit a parent's indigency, and Judge Terry and the grandmother who pushed for it weren't among them. We break down how the Second District Court of Appeals at Fort Worth conditionally granted mandamus and ordered the father's counsel reinstated, and why depriving a parent of a lawyer at a critical stage risks making the whole appeal a "toothless exercise." Educational only, not legal advice.One caveat worth flagging: the opinion itself never names the trial judge—it refers only to "the trial court." I've matched the court to its current presiding judge based on public records, which is a reasonable inference, but if this case was heard by an associate judge or visiting judge rather than Judge Terry herself, the attribution could be off. You may want to confirm against the trial court docket before publishing her name.