Luddite PACs & Candidates: Texas Political Funds that Dodge the Internet
V. Judicial Candidates
| [ Luddite PACs & Candidates: Texas Political Funds that Dodge the Internet V. Judicial Candidates |
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A loophole in Texas’ electronic-filing law excludes all judicial candidates running for more than 400 state district courts (few district judges voluntarily file electronically). This loophole does not apply to judicial candidates running for Texas’:Comments made by the Texas Supreme Court's chief jsutice in his 2001 “State of the Judiciary Address” suggest that Luddites are ill suited for modern courts. Chief Justice Tom Phillips said, “For today’s judge, a computer and a conference room may be more important than a courtroom.” Yet 20 Luddites seeking Texas appeals court seats raised $373,723 by July 2002.
- Highest civil court (the Texas Supreme Court);
- Highest criminal court (the Court of Criminal Appeals); and
- 14 intermediate courts of appeals (which handle both civil and criminal appeals).
Judicial Luddites Court No. of
FilersNon-E-Disclosed
Money Raised
Jan '01 - July '02Supreme Court 3 Court of Criminal Appeals 7 Intermediate Appeals Courts 10 20
Judicial
CandidateParty Court Dist. Primary
OutcomeNon-E-Disclosed
Money Raised
Jan '01 - July '02I Eva Guzman R Appeals 14 Won William E. Moody D Supreme None Won I Molly M. Francis R Appeals 5 Won I David L. Bridges R Appeals 5 Won I Kerry P. FitzGerald R Appeals 5 Won I Ronald L. Walker D Appeals 9 Won I Mark Whittington R Appeals 5 Won James N. Parsons D Supreme None Won Charles L. Attaway D Appeals 6 Lost Guy C. Williams R Criminal Appeals None Lost I Cathy Cochran R Criminal Appeals None Won Steven W. Smith R Supreme None Won David L. Richards R Criminal Appeals None Lost Jesse R. Molina D Criminal Appeals None Won I Dixon W. Holman R Appeals 2 Won Wallace K. Law R Appeals 3 Won Connie J. Kelley R Criminal Appeals None Lost I Thomas B. Price R Criminal Appeals None Won Stephen Mansfield R Criminal Appeals None Lost Gary A. Hinchman R Appeals 9 Lost I = Incumbent There are relatively few Luddites running as viable candidates for the state’s two top appeals courts. Just three Luddites made a run for the Texas Supreme Court (William Moody, James Parsons and Steven Smith) and all of them raised a fraction of the money that their non-Luddite opponents raised.4 Seven Luddites ran for the Court of Criminal Appeals, but just three of these survived the primary (Thomas Price, Cathy Cochran and Jesse Molina). Ten lower court of appeals candidates, led by incumbent Judge Eva Guzman, accounted forthe vast majority of Luddite judicial money.
Paper reports filed by state district judge campaigns suggest that some of these candidates should not be allowed to hide their finances behind the blanket district-judge exemption in the electronic-filing law. Note that 20 Luddite district judge candidates raised more than $100,000 by July 2002, led by Laredo District Judge Manuel Flores ($221,600). More than 120 Luddite district judge candidates already have raised more than $20,000 apiece.
District Judge Luddite Candidates
Raising More Than $100,000 by July 2002District Judge
CandidateParty Office Dist. Primary
OutcomeNon-E-Disclosed
Money Raised
Jan '01 - July '02Manuel R. Flores D DJ 49 Won Paul W. Enlow R DJ 141 Lost John T. Wooldridge R DJ 269 Won Jennifer W. Elrod R DJ 190 Won Frank Montalvo R DJ 288 Won Leonel Alejandro D DJ 357 Won Catharina Haynes R DJ 191 Won Rose Guerra Reyna D DJ 206 Won John K. Dietz D DJ 250 Won Rose Vela D DJ 148 Won Sandra L. Watts D DJ 117 Won Lisa A. Millard R FDJ 310 Won Rosaura Tijerina D DJ 49 Lost David Peeples R DJ 224 Won Bruce D. Oakley R DJ 234 Won Martha Huerta D FDJ 319 Won Jeff Brown R DJ 55 Won Jim York R DJ 246 Won George C. Hanks R DJ 157 Won Brent Gamble R DJ 270 Won Note: DJ = District Judge; FDJ = Family District Judge.