Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Through political action, legal, academic and market research, and grassroots initiatives, TLR fights for common-sense reforms that keep Texas open for business.

  • About TLR
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
    • Special Reports
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • The Advocate
    • TLR Blog: For the Record
  • Get Involved
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
In the News

Politics puts good judges on sidelines

San Antonio Express News, March 19, 2019

By: San Antonio Express News

Kudos to Democrat District Attorney Joe Gonzales for finding positions in his administration for Republican judges who were swept out of office in the November general election.

Politicians like to pontificate about bipartisanship, but it is not often we see public displays of it in action. Gonzales sets a great example for his colleagues at the courthouse, some of whom chose not to employ staff that had previously worked for elected officials affiliated with the opposing political party.

Political party affiliation does not define an individual’s work ethic or professional dedication, but in the past couple of decades it is has been a judge’s party affiliation — not performance on the job — that has gotten them re-elected in Texas.

As a consequence, the state lost some great jurists at the top of the legal field and saw more than a few lackluster lawyers with skimpy résumés don judicial robes. Across the state, more than 400 Republican judges lost their benches as Democrats swept the polls during the midterm elections. Twenty-two members of the Bexar County judiciary were on that casualty list.

Gonzales told Express-News columnist Gilbert Garcia recently he thought it unfortunate the county was losing some very seasoned judges and jumped at the opportunity to offer them jobs.

Among the former judges who remain employed by Bexar County through the district attorney’s office are several lawyers who began their careers as prosecutors. Former judges now on Gonzales’ staff include Melisa Skinner, Lorina Rummel, Crystal Chandler, Jason Garrahan, Scott Roberts and Jason Wolff.

“Really, when you’re looking to keep a community safe, safety is not a Democrat or Republican issue,” Gonzales said. “It’s an issue of common sense.”

We could not agree more, though we’ve had issues with Garrahan. He, in our view, improperly recused himself — too late — in the Kevin Wolff DWI case. It was properly used as a campaign issue against him.

In a state of the judiciary speech earlier this month, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, not for the first time, called on Texas lawmakers to consider changing the way judges are elected and proposed a merit selection system and retention elections.

Hecht is among a long list of Texas Supreme Court chief justices who been making a case for judicial selection reform since the 1980s, but there have been no takers to date.

If the recent elections results don’t serve as a wake-up call for state lawmakers, it is difficult to imagine what would get their attention.

It was not just county and district court judges who were affected by the Democratic sweep; Texas appellate courts were not immune. While all statewide posts went to Republicans, 20 Republican intermediate court appellate judges were voted out of office, shifting control of four state appeals courts in Austin, Houston and Dallas to Democratic majorities.

Hecht called the current judicial election system among the worst methods of selecting judges and urged support of legislation that would create more stringent qualifications for judicial candidates.

The elimination of straight party voting in 2020 should bring some stability to the local justice system, but it likely won’t be enough to ensure good judges stay in office.

There is something seriously wrong with a judicial election system in which partisanship becomes more important than qualifications.

It needs to be fixed.

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

8 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Texas ports are thriving today, but in the early 2000s, abusive personal injury lawsuits threatened to shut them down. As the Port of Houston begins a long-awaited expansion, read more about the common-sense lawsuit reform in 2007 that saved our state’s shipping industry in this week’s TLR blog, For the Record: bit.ly/3aeTy6n ... See MoreSee Less

Learn More

Play
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 1
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

1 day ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July! ... See MoreSee Less

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July!
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Happy Independence Day America Today we celebrate our Republic 🇺🇸

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

4 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

In case you missed it: Specialized business courts like the Delaware Court of Chancery can be an important addition to a state’s economic foundation. These courts quickly and expertly handle complex business litigation, freeing up other courts to handle other types of cases. Read and share: bit.ly/3y7zwnI ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Making Business Our Business

bit.ly

Much has been written about Elon Musk—eccentric billionaire, CEO of some of the most innovative companies in the world and… future owner of Twitter? While the nuances of this deal are daily fodder...
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook


Follow us on Twitter

lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
6h 1544441042120089600

Sign up for the TLR Weekly News Roundup to receive a daily digest of headlines & news stories about #lawsuitreform from Texas & around the country!

Sign up for the TLR Weekly News Roundup!

Please use the form below to receive a daily digest of TLR Clips - headlines and news stories about lawsuit reform from Texas and around the country.

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1544441042120089600Retweet on Twitter 1544441042120089600Like on Twitter 15444410421200896001Twitter 1544441042120089600
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
8h 1544407069297614851

Texas ports are thriving, but in the early 2000s, abusive lawsuits threatened to shut them down. Read more about the common-sense reform that saved our state’s shipping industry in this week’s TLR blog, For the Record: https://bit.ly/3aeTy6n

Twitter feed video.
Image for the Tweet beginning: Texas ports are thriving, but
Reply on Twitter 1544407069297614851Retweet on Twitter 15444070692976148512Like on Twitter 1544407069297614851Twitter 1544407069297614851
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
4 Jul 1543988532720566273

Wishing everyone a very happy #4thOfJuly!

Twitter feed video.
Image for the Tweet beginning: Wishing everyone a very happy
Reply on Twitter 1543988532720566273Retweet on Twitter 1543988532720566273Like on Twitter 15439885327205662732Twitter 1543988532720566273

Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
  • About TLR
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
  • For the Record
  • Special Reports
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Get Involved
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
  • Contact TLR

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy