November 1, 2002

High Court Candidates
Raise $1 Million A Seat

Even with three candidates sitting out the arms race, 10 surviving major-party candidates for five Texas Supreme Court spots raised an average of $1 million per seat. The 10 candidates had raised $4.8 million a week out from Tuesday’s election (three failed primary candidates had previously raised another $1.6 million).
 

Current Candidates' Top Donors
Source Amount
Vinson & ElkinsD
$171,505
Baker BottsD
$133,155
Watts Law FirmP
$111,500
Fleming & AssociatesP
$93,600
Fulbright & JaworskiD
$86,870
Nix Patterson & RoachP
$80,250
Haynes & BooneD
$63,802
Locke Liddell & SappD
$61,345
Texans for Lawsuit Reform 
$60,923
TX Medical Assoc.
$56,406
TOTAL:
    $919,356
D = Defense firm; P = Plaintiff firm.

Dominated by lawyers active before the court, 19 percent of this money came from just 10 sources, including five defense firms and three plaintiff firms. The other top donors were Texans for Lawsuit Reform and the Texas Medical Asso-ciation.

Wallace Jefferson and Dale Wainwright raised more than $1 million each (see table below); a third Republican, Michael Schneider, could clear this amount by election day. Due to a disclosure loophole, judicial candidates will not report their last week’s campaign-finance activity until around the time that the winners take office next January. The only Democrat to outraise her Republican opponent is Margaret Mirabal, who raised $761,134.

Spending skyrocketed as the election drew near. The 10 candidates spent $1.4 million in the past month—about twice as much as they raised. The expenditures of five candidates greatly exceeded the money they received, with Jim Parsons spending more than three times what he raised last month.

Jefferson, Mirabal and Linda Yanez were the only candidates who reported more than $100,000 in the bank on October 27, the last day covered in the latest disclosure reports. •
 

October Dollar Docket
Cases heard by the Texas Supreme Court in October and corresponding contributions to justices from the parties and/or attorneys.
 
October 9, 2002
Progressive County Mutual Ins. v.
$5,350 
Paul Sink
$0 
   
Patsy Keen v.
$250 
Diana Weaver
$140,374 
   
In the Interest of A.V and J.V.
$0 
   
Tana Oil & Gas Corp. v.
$38,195 
Tom C. McCall & David B. McCall
$0 
   
October 16, 2002
Golden Eagle Archery Inc. v.
$1,250 
Ronald Jackson
$8,140 
   
Tarrant Regional Water Dist. v.
$131,650 
Billy Harden Gragg
$282,236 
   
October 23, 2002
First National Bank of Seminole v.
$5,727 
Sam P. Hooper
$0 
   
Geoffrey S. Walker, M.D. v.
$17,775 
Bertha Gutierrez
$0 
   
Herman C. Page v.
$0 
Structural Wood Components Inc.
$0 
   
October 31, 2002
Texas Dpt. of Parks and Wildlife v.
$0 
Maria and Ray Miranda
$0 
   
Humble Sand & Gravel Inc. v.
$90,000 
Raymond Gomez, et al.
$107,850 
   
Sheffield Development Co. Inc. v.
$35,085 
Glenn Heights
$0
Grand Total for October:
 $864,882

 

Texas Supreme Court War Chests Inventory, Oct. 26, 2002
Place/
Party
Candidate Total $
Raised
Raised In
Last Month
$ Spent In
Last Month
10/27 Cash
On Hand
Top Money Source
CJ/R Phillipsi
$7,716
$2,113
$3,112
$7,116
Gov. Bush Committee
CJ/D Baker
$3,507
$150
$1,275*
$309
Banker Doug Cameron
1/R Schneideri
$938,205
$137,679
$241,550
$57,698
Vinson & Elkins
1/D Yanez
$402,783
$40,143
$20,595
$103,287
Watts Law Firm
2/R Wainwright 
$1,031,234
$118,213
$285,191
$84,753
Vinson & Elkins
2/D Parsons
$311,818
$64,675
$212,420
$17,066
Nix Patterson & Roach
3/R Jeffersoni
$1,132,107
$101,233
$255,907
$136,555
Vinson & Elkins
3/D Moody
$232,875
$82,460
$61,527
$13,288
Nix Patterson & Roach
4/D Mirabal
$761,993
$157,429
$334,432
$131,848
Fleming & Associates
4/R Smith
$21,590
$3,150
$3,173
$212
Louis Beecherl/Will Perry
 
TOTALS:
 $4,843,828
$707,245
$1,419,182
$552,132
 
i = Incumbent; *Includes $722 in expenditures of candidate's personal funds.
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