Attorneys and judges are remembering former Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Cathy Cochran, who died Sunday after a long illness, as a genuinely kind friend and brilliant lawyer and judge who leaves a lasting legacy on the criminal jurisprudence of the Lone Star State.

Cochran, who served on the high court from 2001 to 2014, was so persuasive of her fellow jurists that she often authored majority rulings, setting precedent that the court and attorneys will rely upon for years to come. She had a knack for highlighting problematic areas of Texas law that needed to change, and more than once the Texas Legislature enacted new criminal statutes to address those issues.