ABSTRACT
The Texas Constitution does much to weaken the office of governor, but one of the signature powers of every Texas governor is the power of appointment. Governor Perry, in office from late 2000 through 2014, made 8,149 appointments to offices like judgeships that come open unexpectedly and to the state’s myriad agencies, boards, and commissions. Most appointments are to six-year terms and require Senate confirmation. A governor that serves two four-year terms will appoint all of the members of those agencies, boards, and commissions; one that serves fourteen years, as Perry did, will exercise a steadily expanding and deepening control of Texas state government and of the benefits and opportunities it has to distribute.
