February 28, 2017

The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump:

We have long admired the principled conservative leadership of Texas Attorney General Ken
Paxton. He has been an exceptional and fearless champion of the Constitution, and a relentless
defender of conservative values, throughout his entire record of public service. General Paxton
demonstrated his conservative leadership and commitment to principle when he applauded U.S.
Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz for considering U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor, Texas
Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, and former Texas Solicitor General Jim Ho for appointment to the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We have been long admirers of these three gentlemen, each
of whom has provided distinguished conservative leadership for the State of Texas for well over a
decade. We fully endorse these three gentlemen. As General Paxton recently told Breitbart: No one
has more at stake in how we fill these Fifth Circuit vacancies than the men and women who defend the
State of Texas in court every single day at the Texas Attorney Generals Office. Judge Reed OConnor
is a nationally respected federal judge who has a proven track record. Likewise, Justice Don Willett
and Jim Ho are among our very best legal talents committed to conservative principles. We agree.

Judge OConnor and Justice Willett are already well known conservative Texas judges. We
have known Mr. Ho since his days as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the
Constitution, where he was a tireless and stalwart advocate for all of the issues we champion. In
addition, Mr. Ho clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas. Mr. Hos record of unswerving devotion to the
Constitution has only continued over the subsequent decadeboth as Solicitor General of Texas and in
private practice. He has been one of the leading voices in Texas for religious liberty and has
maintained one of the strongest and most consistent conservative records of anyone we know.

Respectfully,

Kelly Shackelford
President and CEO
David Barton
Timothy Barton
WallBuilders
Cathie Adams
Eagle Forum
Jonathan Saenz
Texas Values
cc: The Honorable John Cornyn
The Honorable Ted Cruz
FIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE 2001 WEST PLANO PARKWAY. SUITE 1600 PLANO, TX 75075
PHONE: 972-941-4444 FIRSTLIBERTY.ORG