Texas Business Court Seats First Jury in $200 Million Oil Case

Judge adds extra strike for alternate juror selection in inaugural trial

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The Texas Business Court seated its first jury on Monday in a $200 million oil industry dispute, with Judge Sofia Adrogué allowing an additional strike for lawyers to exclude an alternate juror they didn't want. The 12-person jury and two alternates were selected after Adrogué realized she needed to go over a final detail on jury selection with the lawyers in the early morning hours before the trial began.

Why it matters

The new Texas Business Court was established to handle complex, high-stakes commercial cases that previously would have gone through the regular state court system. This first jury trial is a milestone for the court and could set precedents for how future cases are handled.

The details

Judge Adrogué said she had a '2 a.m. reminder thought' to give the lawyers an additional strike to exclude a potential alternate juror they didn't want. By the end of the day, the court had seated 12 jurors and 2 alternates - the first time a jury has been selected for a major business dispute case in the new Texas Business Court.

  • The inaugural jury trial in the Texas Business Court took place on Monday, February 10, 2026.

The players

Judge Sofia Adrogué

The presiding judge in the first jury trial of the Texas Business Court.

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What they’re saying

“One of those 2 a.m. reminder thoughts”

— Judge Sofia Adrogué, Presiding Judge (bloomberglaw.com)

What’s next

The $200 million oil industry dispute case will now proceed to trial under the oversight of the new Texas Business Court.

The takeaway

The inaugural jury trial in the Texas Business Court marks an important milestone for the new court, which was established to handle complex, high-stakes commercial cases more efficiently than the regular state court system.