Expensive, partisan judicial races are not new in Texas: in the mid-1980s, Texans saw a number of hard-fought judicial races as various groups organized to transform a Democrat-controlled Supreme Court that was perceived as overly friendly to plaintiffs’ lawyers into a Republican-dominated bench that would be more receptive to business interests. Perhaps unsurprising in a large state with several expensive media markets, Supreme Court elections in Texas have continued to be big-money affairs: according to a comprehensive analysis of judicial elections from 2000–2009, when accounting for candidate fundraising and independent spending on TV ads, Texas was the fourth most expensive state for judicial elections in the decade.
Three contested races for seats on the Texas Supreme Court were on the ballot in November 2010; in all three contests an incumbent Republican justice faced a Democratic and a Libertarian challenger. Justice Eva Guzman ran against Blake Bailey and Jack Armstrong. Justice Paul Green ran against William Moody and Tom Oxford. Justice Debra Lehrmann ran against Jim Sharp and William Bryan Strange. All three incumbent justices retained their seats.
Click here to return to the Buying Time — 2010 Homepage
Advertisements
October 30, 2010 – Restore Balance
Stream Video QT | Download Storyboard
Blake Bailey will defend the rights of others.
October 18, 2010 – In Your Hands
Stream Video QT | Storyboard Not Available For This Ad
The future of El Paso is in your hands.
October 18, 2010 – En Tus Manos (“In Your Hands” Spanish language version)
Stream Video QT | Storyboard Not Available For This Ad
El futuro de El Paso esta en tus manos.
October 10, 2010 – Make History
Stream Video QT | Download Storyboard
Bill Moody urges El Paso to make history by electing him and ending a 160-year drought.