The Texas Legislature’s 2025 session is winding down in less than three weeks, and the gavel is the star of the show. You know, that wooden hammer judges use in courtrooms, auctioneers use to seal the deal, and Texas legislators use to keep order in the Capitol. It’s a multitasking tool, for sure.
The sound of the gavel sets the tone for the day in the Texas House and Senate. Whether it’s signaling the end of a vote or getting rowdy lawmakers back in line, the gavel commands attention. In Texas, wooden gavels are a common sight in courtrooms, auction houses, and the statehouse, each with its own unique style and purpose.
When it comes to gavels in the Texas Legislature, size matters. The gavels used in the House are larger than those in the Senate, with the House gavels measuring a whopping 16 inches from head to handle. Imagine swinging one of those bad boys from Home Depot! Committee meeting gavels, on the other hand, are much smaller, some as short as 10 and a half inches. But with all the banging going on in the Legislature, gavels are bound to break – just ask Rep. Brooks Landgraf, who accidentally shattered a gavel during a heated debate on a school voucher bill. Oops!
Breaking a gavel may seem like a mishap, but in the Texas House, it’s a badge of honor. Representatives who break a gavel get to keep it as a memento, complete with an engraving commemorating the occasion. Rep. Dade Phelan, a former speaker of the House, knows a thing or two about breaking gavels – he’s had his fair share of mishaps, including one incident where the gavel flew off and hit a clerk. Yikes! In the Senate, however, gavel smashing isn’t a thing – there’s a bit more decorum there. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own fun, like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s rubber gavel prank on unsuspecting freshmen senators. Talk about a silent strike!
As for where these gavels come from, they’re all made by Texas Correctional Industries, giving inmates a chance to learn a new skill. Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows even gifted an engraved gavel to a 13-year-old with terminal brain cancer who aspires to be sworn in to 1,000 law enforcement agencies. It’s moments like these that remind us of the significance behind the gavel. So, as the 89th Texas Legislature wraps up on June 2, we can expect more gavel strikes and maybe even a few more accidental breaks along the way. After all, in the world of gavels, anything can happen!
