Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is shown at America AFA's 20th Anniversary Gala at the Junior League in 2015. 

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is shown at America AFA’s 20th Anniversary Gala at the Junior League in 2015. 

Jon Shapley/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. The Texas Supreme Court building is seen in 2017 in Austin.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. The Texas Supreme Court building is seen in 2017 in Austin.

Ashley Landis/Dallas Morning NewsRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Bill Thompson/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Bill Thompson/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, left, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Ruby Kless Sondock, left, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Steve Ueckert/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law.

Darrell Davidson/Houston ChronicleKathy Whitmire. Houston Mayor. Taking the oath. Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire, beginning her third term as mayor, repeats the oath of office as administered by state District Judge Ruby Kless Sondock during ceremonies at Jones Hall. Also sworn in were City controller Lance Lalor and all 14 City Council members.

Kathy Whitmire. Houston Mayor. Taking the oath. Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire, beginning her third term as mayor, repeats the oath of office as administered by state District Judge Ruby Kless Sondock during ceremonies at Jones Hall. Also sworn in were City controller Lance Lalor and all 14 City Council members.

E. Joseph Deering/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Carlos Rosales/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Carlos Rosales/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. 

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. 

Manuel M. Chavez/Houston PostRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Manuel M. Chavez/Houston ChronicleRuby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, died at 100 after decades of service to Houston and Texas law. Sondock is seen at the 234th District Court, Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin.

Carlos Rosales/Houston ChronicleJackie Mazon, Justice Ruby Sondock, Stephen Grace and Regina Rogers at America AFA's 20th Anniversary Gala at the Junior League.

Jackie Mazon, Justice Ruby Sondock, Stephen Grace and Regina Rogers at America AFA’s 20th Anniversary Gala at the Junior League.

Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle

Ruby Kless Sondock, the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court and a pioneering Houston judge who mentored generations of women lawyers, died Tuesday. She was 100.

Sondock, whose death on Tuesday was confirmed by Houston Jewish Funerals Director Eric Bishop, left a legacy of service and firsts as a woman in the legal sphere.

For decades, Sondock broke barriers in Texas courts while mentoring generations of younger lawyers, leaving an imprint on the state’s legal profession that extended well beyond her years on the bench. Her career transformed what women could aspire to in Texas law, and many of those who followed credited her not only for opening doors but for helping them walk through them.

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Among those who found a mentor and a trailblazing example in Sondock was former U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore.

Gilmore, who was the first African American to be appointed to the Texas Department of Commerce Policy Board under Gov. Ann Richards, was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas — becoming the youngest sitting federal judge in the United States at the time and first graduate of the University of Houston appointed to the federal bench — remembered her first encounter with Sondock while trying her first case in front of the venerable judge and being summoned to her chambers afterward.

“You’re nervous as a baby lawyer, and you want to make sure that you’re doing a good job, and she was an amazing judge, very no-nonsense,” Gilmore said.

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Gilmore said she was initially “completely terrified,” not knowing what to expect, but soon realized Sondock was looking out for her.

“She wanted to make sure I knew that she had watched me, watched me closely and wanted to give me good feedback on things I could do, how to be strong as a female in court, how to use my voice, how to have presence in the courtroom so that people in court would take you seriously,” Gilmore said. “She was so amazingly encouraging, and it set the tone for me for everything I did in terms of the way I interacted with other female lawyers from that point on.”

Houston attorney Benny Agosto Jr. wrote in a Facebook post, “I want to ask that you join us in thanking God for the life of our dear friend former Texas Supreme Court Justice Ruby Kless Sondock.”

Sondock, a Houston native, established her legal footing by happenstance, according to Sondock’s biographical profile on the University of Houston Law Center website and a 2022 interview with the institution. 

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She had originally enrolled at the University of Houston Law Center in the late 1950s hoping to become a legal secretary for job security and because it seemed the most practical.

“It was the only game in town as far as I was concerned,” she said.

While still in law school Sondock had an offer to join a firm led by Fred Parks, a prominent Houston lawyer at the time, and from there, opportunities continued, with Sondock forging her own trajectory of breaking barriers.

In 1973, Sondock was appointed to the Harris County Domestic Relations Court No. 5 by former Texas Governor Preston Smith, which made her the first woman in Harris County appointed to a district-level judgeship. By 1977, Sondock had become the first judge to serve on the newly established 234th District Court, and 1982, became the first woman to serve in a regular session on the Texas Supreme Court.

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Sondock would serve on the 234th District Court until her retirement in 1988, but she remained a mentor and inspiration to others, Gilmore said.

Gilmore started law school at the University of Houston in 1979, at a time when there were still no designated restrooms for female law students. Sondock’s early footprint, said Gilmore, was an inspiring blueprint for a new generation.   

“It meant a lot back then to see her in a position of strength and power, and also to see that she was willing to reach down and reach back and help other people – especially women – succeed,” she said. 

One of Gilmore’s last interactions with Sondock was in 2025 during an event. Afterwards, Sondock told Gilmore in her familiar confident manner, “Give me a ride home” — and it was a request that Gilmore happily granted.

“I was honored,” Gilmore said. “Because there was so little that she needed or wanted, when she asked you for something, you said of course. She was a trailblazer for all of us.”

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In 2015, she was declared a “Texas Legal Legend” by the State Bar of Texas, and the Houston Bar Association established the Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Award in 2019, presented to female lawyers or judges for leadership and achievement. 

Earlier this year, in celebration of Sondock’s 100th birthday and in recognition of her “remarkable service to the State of Texas, the Supreme Court of Texas proclaimed April 26, 2026 Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Day.