ABOUT ME

Sydney Beasley Hewlett has been married to Justin Hewlett for 41 years and they raised their kids right here in Cleburne, Texas.  Both Justin and Sydney had the opportunity to attend high school in the same building where their fathers attended – which is now the Guinn Justice Center, and the location of the 18th District Court where Judge Hewlett currently presides.   Sydney has spent a great deal of time in that building over the years, since she also attended Hill College and practiced plays with the Carnegie Players in that same building.

​

Sydney was appointed to the bench of the 18th District Court of Johnson and Somervell Counties by Governor Abbott and took the oath of office on May 17, 2019.   When she took the bench, the 18th had more than 2000 pending cases; substantially more than neighboring courts.  As a result, she has been focused on docket management since taking the bench and has reduced the Court’s backlog of cases more than an 85%.  But, there is much more to do.  Please vote in the March Republican Primary to give Judge Hewlett a full term to serve the people of Johnson and Somervell County. 

​

Justin and Sydney have four grown children (a lawyer, 2 former soldiers, and a SVP of Mortgage Operations), six grandchildren, and two grand-dogs.

​

Education and Honors

 

While her children were very young, Sydney attended Hill College and then UTA where she obtained her BA in English, graduating Summa cum Laude in May of 1994.  She was ranked first in the English department and received the Don L. Cravens Award for Outstanding Student in English. 

 

Sydney began attending Baylor Law in the Fall of 1994, when her children were ages 5 through 13, and commuted between Waco and Cleburne.  She earned a place on the Baylor Law Review based on her grades, and served as Notes & Comments Editor, Assistant Managing Editor, and Research & Topics Editor.  The Baylor Law Review published Sydney’s article “New Frivolous Litigation law in Texas: The Latest Development in the Continuing Saga” in the Spring of 1996.  Sydney was also selected to serve on the Baylor National Competition Team, made it to the national finals, and received the American College of Trial Lawyers Medal for Excellence in Advocacy.   Her law review and advocacy competition experiences led to an even deeper emersion in the study of the law, the practical application of the law to facts, and research skills – all of which led to a successful legal career, and now the Court.

​

Sydney received a number of academic scholarships while attending Baylor Law, and elected to obtain certificates of concentration (which each required extended coursework) in both Civil Litigation and Criminal Law.  Sydney graduated from Baylor Law in February of 1997, cum Laude.

 

Sydney is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and all lower courts in the state of the Texas; the US District Courts in the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas; US District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; US District Court, Central District of Illinois; and the US Court of Federal Claims.

​

Sydney was elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation in 2016, in recognition of outstanding professional service and notable contributions to the system of justice and the people of Texas. 

 

22 years of Legal Experience  

 

Following Baylor Law, Sydney clerked with the Honorable Terry R. Means, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth division for two years, where she wrote opinions for one-half of the Court’s docket and was exposed to a wide variety of civil and criminal matters.  Sydney was honored to have Judge Means administer her oath of office for the 18th District Court of Texas.  She is also proud to be first woman appointed to a Court of record in this County.

 

Sydney joined Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller immediately following her clerkship in September of 1999 and became a Partner in record time.  Working with her partners at SGRM for 15 years, Sydney handled wide variety of litigation arising out of family, business and real estate disputes, commercial and individual first-party insurance claims, patent and trademark disputes, and various statutory causes of action. 

 

In September of 2014, Sydney opened Hewlett Law PLLC in Cleburne, which allowed her to spend more time with her family and focus more directly on her local practice.   She was happy to trade the 10 hour a week commute for 3 minutes a day, if the light was red. 

 

Over the years, Sydney has handled more than 1000 cases and appeared in Courts throughout the State of Texas, including Johnson County.  She continued her practice in Cleburne until she was appointed by Governor Abbot and took the bench in May of 2019. 

 

In May, Sydney took over the docket for the 18th District Court and is loving the new job, which includes criminal felony cases, civil and family law cases, and cases brought by Child Protective Services and other governmental entities. 

 

Texas Conservative Values and Community

 

Sydney is active in the Republican Party.  She served as the Caucus Chair for Senate District 22 at both the 2016 and 2018 Republican State Convention.   In Johnson County, Sydney has served as the precinct chair and member of the Johnson County Republican Executive Committee for Precinct 19; served on the Resolutions Committee for the Johnson County Convention in 2016 and 2018; served as Chair and member of the Building Committee; has served as a Voting Location Judge in all elections from 2015 to the present; and has been active in fundraising for the local Republican Party. 

           

Sydney was also one of the founding members of the Polly Guthrie Memorial Scholarship established by the Johnson County Republican Women in 2014, served as Chairman of that committee, and has participated in the recipient selection process each year since the scholarship’s inception – which has resulted in $23,000 awarded to conservative Johnson County seniors.  Sydney also served as Vice President and President of the Johnson County Republican Women.

           

Sydney served at the request of the federal judges of the Northern District of Texas on the selection committee for the current sitting Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Courts, Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division.  While working in Fort Worth, she also served on the Board of Directors of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center and was a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association.

 

Sydney served as the Chairman of the Cleburne Business & Standards Commission from 2017 until she took the bench in May of 2019.  She is also an active member of the Cleburne Economic Development Foundation and has served on the officer selection committee; the Chisholm Trial 100 Club; Tuesday Forum; Johnson County Bar Association; and various chambers.  Justin and Sydney have worshiped at Granbury Street Church of Christ since 1981.