What’s in a name? Texas Supreme Court Races

by MARK PULLIAM January 4, 2016 1:41 PM Trial lawyers make a cynical play for the Texas Supreme Court, Place 9 This is another post on the races currently underway for three seats on the Texas Supreme Court. I have previously written about the race between incumbent Justice Debra Lehrmann and challenger Justice Michael Massengale for Place 3, and the potentially confusing race between incumbent Justice Paul W. Green and challenger Rick Green for Place 5. In this post I discuss the race between incumbent Justice Eva Guzman and challenger Joe Pool Jr. for Place 9. Why am I writing about this? First of all, I am a (retired) lawyer and legal blogger living in Texas, and the composition of the state supreme court — although sometimes overlooked — is very important to all Texans. Second, thanks to landmark tort-reform legislation passed in 2003, Texas’s legal system is widely regarded as the most business-friendly in the United States, a welcome respite from the rampant plaintiff-orientation so common elsewhere. Texas’s legal system, including its judiciary, is a national model. Third, elections in Texas have national implications. Texas is the nation’s most populous and consequential Red state: All statewide elected officials (including both U.S. senators) are Republican; both chambers of the state legislature are controlled by lopsided GOP majorities; and, due to its 38 electoral votes (second greatest of any state, trailing only California), Texas is an influential player in presidential politics. Home of Bush 41 and Bush 43, Texas boasts recent (former governor Rick Perry) and current (Senator Ted Cruz) presidential candidates. Unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Texas doesn’t...

Governor Abbott Appoints DeCoss Judge of 445th Judicial District Court

[Appointment] Governor Abbott Appoints De Coss Judge Of 445th Judicial District Court Governor Greg Abbott has appointed René De Coss of Rancho Viejo as judge of the 445th Judicial District Court in Cameron County for a term set to expire at the next general election in November 2016. René De Coss is a solo practitioner and currently serves as an associate municipal judge for the City of Brownsville. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is a former member of the Cameron County Bar Association and Cameron County Criminal Defense Bar Association. De Coss received a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from Baylor...

Governor Greg Abbott appoints Missy Medary

http://gov.texas.gov/news/appointment/21563 Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Missy Medary of Corpus Christi presiding judge of the Fifth Administrative Judicial Region for a term set to expire four years from the date of qualification. Missy Medary is judge of the 347th Judicial District Court in Nueces County. She will continue to serve as judge of the 347th and will assume the additional responsibilities of overseeing the Fifth Administrative Judicial Region. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and life member of the Texas Bar Foundation. Additionally, she is a former board member of the Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association and the Coastal Bend Women Lawyers Association, and she is a former director of the Corpus Christi Bar Association, the Commission on Children and Youth and the Children’s Advocacy Center. Medary received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of...

Honorable Ray Whelees Campaign Kick Off

You are cordially invited to a Reception & Campaign Kick-Off honoring Honorable Ray Wheless, District Judge, #366 Collin County District Court Statewide Candidate for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2  When:  Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Time:  5:30 p.m. –  8:00 p.m. El Dorado Country Club 2604 Country Club Drive McKinney, Texas 75070  JudgeRayWheless.Republican/ Please RSVP to Tina Yampanis 214/207-0017 or...

Justice Cindy Olson Bourland Reception – Austin

Justice Cindy Olson Bourland Reception Third Court of Appeals Location:  La V 1501 East 7th Street Austin, Texas October 1, 2015 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM RSVP: Pasha@hollandtaucher.com Campaign Address: Justice Cindy O. Bourland Campaign P.O. Box 684281 Austin, Texas 78768...

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