More Texas Supreme Court endorsements for Jordan, Houston, Yanez

The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel endorses Sam Houston and Linda Yanez for Texas Supreme Court:

Texas Supreme Court: ... Houston and Yañez get nods

It's time for change on all-Republican court

Three of the nine seats on the Texas Supreme Court are up for election this year, and all three have Republican incumbents facing competent Democratic challengers. Most voters probably have little idea about just who the court's justices are, and that's not only because of the usual obscurity of the court. It's also because these nine, all Republicans, think pretty much alike. It's time for a change.

The principal criticism of the court, which handles only civil cases, has been its uniformity in ruling for business in cases where it is pitted against consumers or workers.

By one measure, a study by University of Texas law professor David Anderson of the court's 2004 and 2005 tort cases in which the court issued an opinion, the defendant — usually a business — won 87 percent of the time. While the court should not be expected to rule 50-50 in such cases, 87 percent suggests that justice isn't blind at the Texas Supreme Court.

A good example of the court's tilt toward business was its 9-0 ruling in the Entergy case, which for the first time protected plant owners from negligence lawsuits when contracts workers were injured on the job. To reach that ruling the court had to ignore years of settled practice on that very point in Texas, as well as legislative intent. Facing a storm of criticism, the court has agreed to reconsider the ruling.

In another case, the court ruled 6-3 in a case that a Colleyville church could not be held liable for harm to a young woman held down for two hours against her will to free her of a demon. Constitutional protection for religious liberty, the majority said, protected the church.

There have been other embarrassments as well, with questions raised about some justices using their political accounts for personal travel expenses, one justice and his wife caught up in a suspicious fire that destroyed their home and yet another who tried to get the Legislature to pay his legal bills for defending himself in an ethics case...

Place 7 – Texans are so used to candidates of dubious qualification but well-known name running for public office that they might automatically dismiss someone named Sam Houston, 45, a Democrat who is challenging the Republican incumbent for this seat, Dale Wainwright, 47.

But voters should take this Houston — no relation to the original — seriously enough to vote for him. From Houston, Houston is a trial lawyer with broad litigation experience and a critic of the Supreme Court, which he says needs more balance.

Wainwright has a terrific résumé and is personally impressive, but his output has been light compared to the other justices.

...

Place 8 — Linda Yañez, 60, a Democrat on the state's 13th Court of Appeals, based in Corpus Christi, is challenging the incumbent, Phil Johnson, 63, a former chief justice of the 7th Court of Appeals at Amarillo.

Yañez, too, says the court needs to go more to the middle, and her up-from-the-bootstraps personal story would bring a useful perspective to a court dominated by the products of big law firms.

The Daily Texan endorses Jim Jordan and Linda Yanez for Texas Supreme Court (and Susan Strawn for the Court of Crininal Appeals):

Supreme Court Chief Justice: Jim Jordan

Democratic candidate Jim Jordan, who is running for chief justice against incumbent Wallace Jefferson, is a highly experienced, competent candidate that would provide the court the diversity of perspective it currently lacks. Jordan, a practicing attorney with more than 20 years of experience, has actively served the community as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Texas Association of Defense Counsel. Though Jordan is running as a Democrat, he believes that partisan politics should not interfere with the stance justices take on court cases. In a court that has been criticized for exceeding its Constitutional authority and ignoring the role of juries, we believe Jordan will use his legal knowledge and experience to bring the court back on track.

Supreme Court Justice, Place 8: Linda Yanez

While her opponent Phil Johnson is a respectable candidate, Linda Yanez is well-qualified to be part of the dissenting voice the court lacks. Yanez is a former Harvard Law School instructor and has been serving on the 13th Court of Appeals in Texas since Gov. Ann Richards appointed her in 1993. In her time on the court, she has authored more than 800 opinions and served on panel for more than 3,500. Yanez has the potential to bring a new perspective to the Supreme Court while moving quickly to help the court work through its backlog of cases.

Here's the Daily Texan endorsement in the race for Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3: Susan Strawn

The experience of working with the United States Department of Justice for 14 years, as well as two additional years’ service with the United States Department of Treasury, has given Susan Strawn a modern, well-rounded knowledge of the inner workings of the nation’s court systems. A native Texan, Strawn has spent much of her public service career traveling to places like the Balkans and West Africa on behalf of the federal government. Her work in West Africa focused on the enforcement of anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and counter-terrorist financing laws. Strawn’s impressive resume leads us to conclude that she will work to provide necessary improvements to Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals. Recently, the court has been criticized by others in the legal community for a history of absent and irresponsible judges. Thankfully, Strawn seeks to offer fresh and innovative solutions for the court’s future.

Here's a running tally of Texas Supreme Court newspaper endorsements for Sam Houston and Linda Yanez so far:

Sam Houston endorsements -

The Dallas Morning News
The Austin American Statesman
The Corpus Christi Caller Times
The Waco Tribune
The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel

Linda Yanez endorsements -

The Houston Chronicle
The San Antonio Express News
The Austin American Statesman
The Corpus Christi Caller Times
The Waco Tribune
The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel
The Bryan-College Station Eagle
The Daily Texan

The Bryan-College Station Eagle endorses Linda Yanez for Supreme Court

Recommendations in state judicial elections by Eagle Editorial Board

The two high courts have nine members each. Currently, all 18 places are filled by Republicans....

Supreme Court of Texas -- Place 8

Justice Phil Johnson, Republican, vs. Justice Linda Yañez, Democrat ...

Yañez was the first woman on the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi when she was appointed by Gov. Ann Richards in 1993. She has been elected several times since.

She says the Supreme Court has been too eager to overturn jury verdicts, which, she said, Johnson has done six times.

She also criticizes his productivity, noting he has authored only 13 opinions in his three years on the court.

Yañez notes that 50 percent of the civil cases filed in Texas involve family law, but the high court takes no such cases on appeal. She said the court has a hostility to plaintiffs and is result-oriented.

Justice Johnson has done a good job, but we are convinced that Justice Yañez would add a vibrant, intelligent voice to the court, one that it badly needs. Candidates don't come much better.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Justice Linda Yañez to Place 8 on the Supreme Court of Texas.

San Antonio Express News Endorses Justice Linda Yanez for Texas Supreme Court

In Place 8, we highly recommend Democratic challengerLinda Yañez.

Yañez, who is seeking the post now held by Justice Phil Johnson, is unusually well prepared to serve on the state's highest civil court.

Yañez was appointed to the 13th Court of Appeals in 1993 and has since been elected three times. She is making her second bid for the Texas Supreme Court.

During her 15 years on the appellate bench, the Edinburg resident has written 850 opinions. She is a serious, studious judge and a former Harvard Law School instructor. Along with her stellar credentials, Yañez is committed to fair application of the law for all sides. She would be a valuable asset to the high court.

Waco Tribune: "...Linda Yanez and Sam Houston rate your vote on the Texas Supreme Court"

Texas Supreme Court: ... Linda Yanez (D) and Sam Houston (D)

Even as we still find voters amongst us who have absolutely no idea what the Texas Supreme Court does, the high court continues to handle important business in the matter of civil and juvenile cases on appeal. ...

Texans couldn’t ask for a more seasoned and reasoned judicial candidate than Democrat Linda Yanez. She’s our recommendation for Place 8 on the court. Yanez has been on the 13th Court of Appeals in South Texas since her appointment
by Gov. Ann Richards in 1993. She has run once before for the state Supreme Court. Yanez would bring needed philosophical diversity to an all-Republican court that largely is cut of the same cloth.

Her opponent, Justice Phil Johnson, was appointed by Perry in 2005. He is impressive and scholarly. It’s tough to recommend against an incumbent. But if the two were side-by-side without the benefit of incumbency, Yanez would be an easy choice.

In the contest for Place 7, the Trib recommends another non-incumbent, Democrat Sam Houston, a highly regarded Houston attorney. His opponent, Justice Dale Wainwright, was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2003.

Wainwright has drawn fire for contributing to a court backlog. A WFAA-TV report tagged him as the slowest member of a court that doesn’t always deliver on the promise of swift justice. Houston, one of Texas Monthly’s “super lawyers,” would bring needed philosophical diversity to the court.

We also encourage lawmakers to seriously review our current system of electing judges, especially in the sometimes fiercely partisan way we do. In particular, we salute some of the ideas of 160th District Judge Jim Jordan, the impressive Dallas Democrat running against Chief Justice Jefferson this year. He has made it his platform to take party politics out of the judicial process.

One method he proposes would have judicial elections in the spring, when non-partisan school board and city council elections are held. He encourages the Texas Supreme Court to push — and push hard — for these badly needed reforms. “I think the bench and the bar need to be in the lead on this,” he told the Trib editorial board. We agree. It’s high time we took party politics out of Texas’ high courts.

From migrant worker to appellate judge, Yañez takes on next big challenge

From migrant worker to appellate judge, Yañez takes on next big challenge

By Jeremy Roebuck for The Monitor

EDINBURG -- Sitting under shade trees in the vegetable fields of Illinois, a teenage Linda Yañez devoured the classics. Books took her to cultures oceans away from her hometown of Rio Hondo and introduced her to ideas foreign to many of her fellow migrant farmworkers. Four decades later, the 59-year-old appellate judge and candidate for the Texas Supreme Court compares her work now to those summer afternoons spent reading and interpreting tales of lives so different from her own. "Every case is a life conflict," she said. "We can all read the same thing and read something different into it."

The path that led Yañez from life in rural Cameron County to her current position as the senior justice on the 13th Court of Appeals in Edinburg is as unlikely as it is circuitous.

Before she became a lawyer, she worked as a farmworker, a teacher, a community activist and a political campaigner.

Her resume reads like a list of firsts. In 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman to hold an appellate judgeship in Texas. Before that, she was the first female lawyer at her law firm.

And in a story often recited on the campaign trail, her status as a pregnant woman taking the bar exam in Chicago was so foreign to many of herfellow students that they requested she take the test in a separate room for fear that she might go into labor and cause a distraction.

Should she win her race for the Supreme Court's Place 8 come November, she would become the first Latina to serve on the state's highest bench and the first Democratic candidate elected to statewide office in 14 years. ...

"The reason that we have multi-member appellate courts is that there is supposed to be a debate among justices," she said. "We don't have that currently because all nine members are from the same political party."

CONFIDENT INCUMBENT

Yañez and her Republican opponent Johnson agree that commitment to principals and legal precedent should play a role in judicial decisions. But that's where their similarities end. Johnson bridles at the suggestion that he's part of a consistently pro-business court suffering from a backlog of cases ...

That perception is bolstered by a 2007 law review study that has been cited frequently in all three Supreme Court races this year. University of Texas Law School professor David Anderson found that corporate defendants won 87 percent of the cases the court handled in 2004 and 2005. ...

The genesis of Yañez's legal career came more improbably.

She began what she thought would be a lifelong career in teaching after graduating in 1970 from Pan American College, a predecessor to the University of Texas-Pan American. Working with migrant students in Weslaco, she saw many of the same injustices she experienced as a teen playing out in the lives of her students. At the time, school districts routinely barred children of illegal immigrants who were not citizens themselves from attending school and receiving an education.

But while working for Democrat George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, a mentor presented an unusual proposal. David Hall, now the head of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, suggested she consider changing careers. It took some convincing, but within four years Yañez had earned her law degree and was doing legal advocacy work for migrants in Chicago and back in the Rio Grande Valley. "It sounds really corny," she said. "But I really did have a purpose. I wanted to come back and represent the people that I came from." As legal aid attorney, she took on the state's practice of denying education to illegal immigrant students and won.

Then, after several more years of private practice work, her life took another unpredictable turn. Democratic Gov. Ann Richards appointed her to fill a vacancy on the 13th Court of Appeals. "It literally came out of nowhere," Yañez said. "While it was going on, I never even realized we had never had a Latina at the appellate level."

RETURN TO ROOTS

..."To watch her and see her as the first Hispanic female was critical," Justice Gina Benavides told The Monitor last year. "You have to know it can be done and that the opportunity is there."

Endorsements!

The Houston Chronicle

Texas Supreme Court
The Chronicle recommends voters choose Linda Yañez ...

Texas voters should require also that their high court justices thoroughly know the law, apply it with integrity and win the respect of their colleagues and the public by making decisions that are sound, fair and impartial. ...

• Linda Yañez, Texas Supreme Court, Place 8: Yañez is the Democratic challenger in this race. She has served 15 years as a justice on the 13th Court of Appeals. Active and well-respected in state and national legal circles, Yañez has an impressive grasp of the law and of the workings of the Supreme Court.
Noting that the high court justices ruled unanimously in almost all their decisions last term, Yañez promises to bring a fresh perspective to their proceedings.

"The challenge I will bring will be intellectual, not antagonistic," Yañez pledges.

The Dallas Morning News

The nine-member Texas Supreme Court is the state's highest civil court. It has been plagued by a backlog in recent years, taking more than four years after oral arguments in some cases to issue an opinion. And what used to be regarded as a lopsidedly "plaintiff's court" has now become regarded as an unbalanced "pro-business" court, a perception fueled by a legal study conducted by University of Texas School of Law professor David Anderson. It found that the court sided with defendants 87 percent of the time in 2004-05....

Sam Houston for Place 7 seat

Democratic challenger Sam Houston has built solid reputation defending clients against lawsuits and would bring some new ideas to the court. He argues that no one likes lawsuits, but sometimes they are necessary to ensure justice, and that justice is good for business. Mr. Houston, 45, would bring some welcome – and not token – philosophical diversity to the court.

The incumbent in this race says all the right things about being fair and balanced, but Republican Dale Wainwright does not adequately answer criticism about his work ethic. In the last full year statistics were available, for example, he wrote just four signed opinions – the second fewest of any justice on the court and the lowest among the three justices seeking re-election this year. Two of his most recent opinions date to cases heard in 2004.

Justice Wainwright, 47, says there are complex reasons for this, but lives are often on hold waiting for these opinions, and such delays are unacceptable. Justice Wainwright, previously a district judge in Harris County, has a sharp résumé, but voters should send a message to the court that long backlogs will not be tolerated by electing the respected and fresh-thinking Mr. Houston.

The Austin American Statesman

Texas Supreme Court ... Houston and Yanez get nods
It's time for change on all-Republican court

Three of the nine seats on the Texas Supreme Court are up for election this year, and all three have Republican incumbents facing competent Democratic challengers. Most voters probably have little idea about just who the court's justices are, and that's not only because of the usual obscurity of the court. It's also because these nine, all Republicans, think pretty much alike. It's time for a change.

The principal criticism of the court, which handles only civil cases, has been its uniformity in ruling for business in cases where it is pitted against consumers or workers.

By one measure, a study by University of Texas law professor David Anderson of the court's 2004 and 2005 tort cases in which the court issued an opinion, the defendant — usually a business — won 87 percent of the time. While the court should not be expected to rule 50-50 in such cases, 87 percent suggests that justice isn't blind at the Texas Supreme Court.

A good example of the court's tilt toward business was its 9-0 ruling in the Entergy case, which for the first time protected plant owners from negligence lawsuits when contracts workers were injured on the job. To reach that ruling the court had to ignore years of settled practice on that very point in Texas, as well as legislative intent. Facing a storm of criticism, the court has agreed to reconsider the ruling.

In another case, the court ruled 6-3 in a case that a Colleyville church could not be held liable for harm to a young woman held down for two hours against her will to free her of a demon. Constitutional protection for religious liberty, the majority said, protected the church.

There have been other embarrassments as well, with questions raised about some justices using their political accounts for personal travel expenses, one justice and his wife caught up in a suspicious fire that destroyed their home and yet another who tried to get the Legislature to pay his legal bills for defending himself in an ethics case.

However, the justices up for election this year, while criticized for some of their rulings, have not been caught up in out-of-court problems....

Place 7 – Texans are so used to candidates of dubious qualification but well-known name running for public office that they might automatically dismiss someone named Sam Houston, 45, a Democrat who is challenging the Republican incumbent for this seat, Dale Wainwright, 47.

But voters should take this Houston — no relation to the original — seriously enough to vote for him. From Houston, Houston is a trial lawyer with broad litigation experience and a critic of the Supreme Court, which he says needs more balance....

Place 8 — Linda Yañez, 60, a Democrat on the state's 13th Court of Appeals, based in Corpus Christi, is challenging the incumbent, Phil Johnson, 63, a former chief justice of the 7th Court of Appeals at Amarillo.

Yañez, too, says the court needs to go more to the middle, and her up-from-the-bootstraps personal story would bring a useful perspective to a court dominated by the products of big law firms.

The Corpus Christi Caller Times

Changes needed on state's highest appellate courts
Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals need more political, philosophic balance

If given an opportunity, voters in Texas should try to bring more ideological balance to the Texas Supreme Court. Well, voters do have that opportunity in the Nov. 4 general election to make changes on the state's highest civil court by electing two new jurists.

There are three races for the Texas Supreme Court. The Caller-Times Editorial Board recommendations are:...

Place 7, Supreme Court

The Editorial Board recommends the election of Sam Houston, Democrat, a respected lawyer in Houston. He is an experienced lawyer and Baylor law school graduate who would bring greater political, legal and philosophic balance to the state's highest civil court.

"It has been my impression and many others (including noted professors of the law schools in the state)," said Houston, "that our Supreme Court frequently disregards jury verdicts and too often sides with defendants and corporations. I believe it is time to balance our court, which will best happen by electing a trial lawyer who is also a Democrat."

Houston's opponents on the ballot include the incumbent, Dale Wainwright, Republican. Wainwright has been on the court five years; it has been pointed out that he wrote only four signed opinions in the last year for which statistics were available. The other opponent in the race is David Smith, Libertarian, a lawyer in Henderson.

Place 8, Supreme Court

For Place 8, the Caller-Times recommends voters elect Linda Yanez, Democrat from Edinburg, who is the senior justice on the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi. Yanez is widely respected in the legal community and would also help bring greater political and judicial diversity to the court.

"All nine members of the Supreme Court are from the same political party," Yanez said, "which has translated into a 'groupthink' mentality . . . They are actually of one mindset."

The other candidates in the Place 8 race include incumbent Phil Johnson, Republican, who was appointed to the court in 2005 by Gov. Rick Perry. He was chief justice on the 7th Court of Appeals in Amarillo. While Johnson has been a dependable, solid member on the high court, Yanez would help to restore some needed balance. Drew Shirley, Libertarian, is a lawyer in Round Rock.

Like the state's Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals -- the state's highest court for criminal matters -- also needs greater balance. This court was once notorious for leaning toward the rights of defendants, but for the past decade or so, it has become notorious for being a prosecutors' court. Voters in this election have an opportunity to make one significant change.

Place 3, Criminal Appeals

The Caller-Times Editorial Board recommends the election of Susan Strawn, Democrat, a Houston lawyer who served 12 years with the U.S. Department of Justice, from 1990 to 2002. She served as a judicial reform adviser in Kosovo and in West Africa. Recently, she has been an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

The incumbent in this race is Tom Price, Republican. He has been on the Court of Criminal Appeals for 11 years and over that period of time he has earned a reputation for his frequent absences and low productivity. The third candidate on the ballot is Matthew Eilers, Libertarian, a lawyer in Universal City.

Place 4, Criminal Appeals

Paul Womack, the incumbent in this race, has been on the court since 1996. He has been fined by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to file campaign finance reports; his excuse, he said, was that he suffers from attention deficit disorder. The last time he ran for the position, in 2003, he said he would not run again, if elected, but he is back on the ballot seeking another six-year term. He has been criticized for teaching a law-school class which has taken away from his energy and time on the Court of Criminal Appeals....

Texas needs to get politics out of its top appellate courts -- the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals -- by adopting an appointive system for the state's highest courts with a non-partisan judicial screening committee. Meantime, voters have an opportunity in this election to achieve a little more balance on the courts by electing two Democratic challengers to the Supreme Court -- Sam Houston in Place 7 and Linda Yanez in Place 8 -- and by electing Susan Strawn, a Democrat, to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Of course, two out of nine on the Supreme Court and one out of nine on the Court of Criminal Appeals would be a far cry from achieving the balance that is needed. But at least voices from the other side of the political, legal, and philosophic spectrum would be heard on the state's two highest appellate courts.

Some Excellent Democratic Primary Analysis

Charles Kuffner at Off the Kuff has some excellent number crunching and Democratic primary analysis of the Texas Supreme Court races:

Sam Houston beat Baltasar Cruz everywhere except in the four districts that will have Hispanic representatives - HDs 140, 143, 145, and 148, where Houston got a respectable 46%. Linda Yanez, on the other hand, beat Susan Criss everywhere except HD 134, where she got 48%. I confess, I'm amazed at how thoroughly Yanez dominated Criss.

Texas Supreme Court Primary Success!

We nominated our most experienced and most electable candidates to take on the corrupt Republican incumbents at the Texas Supreme Court.

As a result of the primary vote, we will take on the incumbents with those Democratic candidates who won nearly all of the newspaper endorsements, who earned the overwhelming majority of endorsements from Democratic organizations and Democratic elected officials, and won the Texas Bar Association poll regarding the qualifications of judicial candidates.

Sam Houston won by almost 250,000 votes (56% to 44%).

Here are a pair of numbers to keep tucked away in the back of your mind: 1,123,899 and 953,584.

Why are those two numbers important? Because Sam Houston got 1,123,899 votes in his contested primary and his Republican opponent got only 953,584 in his uncontested primary.

I am very proud of Baltasar Cruz who was a gentleman in defeat:

I congratulate Sam Houston, Linda Yañez and Jim Jordan (who ran unopposed) on their Democratic primary wins. Sam Houston, unlike Gene Kelly, is a serious candidate whom I now endorse and whom I genuinely hope will win in November. Likewise, I have met and been impressed with Linda Yañez and Jim Jordan, each of whom will also represent the Democratic Party well in the November general election and happily endorse each of them as well.

Justice Linda Yanez also won a hard-fought Democratic nomination, winning her primary by more than 50,000 votes (3% of the vote).

Justice Yanez got 1,028,164 votes in her contested primary while her Republican opponent got only 948,739 votes in his uncontested primary.

It is no wonder why both Justice Yanez and Judge Susan Criss wanted to run against Republican Phil Johnson, who got the fewest votes of any of the Republican incumbents on the Texas Supreme Court (which is unsurprising since he also got the fewest votes in the Texas Bar Association poll regarding the qualifications of judicial candidates of any Republican incumbent on the Texas Supreme Court).

I am tremendously proud of Susan Criss who ran a very tough campaign and who was very gracious:

"It was a great night for my state, my county, my country and my party," Criss said. "I'm happy, believe it or not."

[snip]

Yañez, who holds a seat on the Texas 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi, will face Republican incumbent Phil Johnson in November's general election.

No Democrat has been elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 14 years, but Criss said she was confident her primary opponent would win the seat.

Both Judge Jim Jordan, our Democratic nominee for Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and his Republican incumbent opponent were uncontested in their respective primaries.

Judge Jordan received 1,728,522 primary votes compared to just 959,670 primary votes for his Republican opponent.



WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT TICKET TO TAKE BACK THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT IN NOVEMBER!

Last Day of Early Voting - Avalanche of Texas Supreme Court Endorsements from Texas Democrats!

Sam Houston has been endorsed by the following Texas elected officials (partial list):

State Senators

District 6 - Mario Gallegos
District 13 - Rodney Ellis
District 14 - Kirk Watson
District 15 - John Whitmire
District 19 - Carlos Uresti
District 20 - Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
District 29 - Eliot Shapleigh

State Representatives

District 23 - Craig Eiland
District 34 - Abel Herrero
District 37 - Rene Oliveira
District 39 - Armando "Mando" Martinez
District 143 - Ana Hernandez
District 147 - Garnet Coleman
District 148 - Jessica Farrar

Local Officials

Harris Co. Commissioner - El Franco Lee
Harris Co. Commissioner - Sylvia Garcia
Brooks Co. Dem. Chair - Michael Guerra
Cameron Co. Dem. Chair - Gilberto Hinojosa
Hidalgo Co. District Attorney - Rene Guerra
Hidalgo Co. Judge - J.D. Salinas
Mayor of La Joya - Billy Leo

Linda Yanez has been endorsed by the following Texas elected officials (partial list):

Congressional

District 9 - Al Green
District 15 - Rubén Hinojosa
District 16 - Silvestre Reyes
District 18 - Sheila Jackson Lee
District 20 - Charlie Gonzalez
District 23 - Ciro D. Rodriguez
District 25 - Lloyd Doggett
District 27 - Solomon P. Ortiz
District 28 - Henry Cuellar

State Senators

District 6 - Mario Gallegos
District 13 - Rodney Ellis
District 19 - Carlos Uresti
District 20 - Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
District 21 - Judith Zaffirini
District 23 - Royce West
District 26 - Leticia Van de Putte
District 27 - Eduardo A. "Eddie" Lucio, Jr.

State Representatives

District 31 - Ryan Guillen
District 32 - Juan Garcia
District 34 - Abel Herrero
District 35 - Yvonne Gonzales Toureilles
District 37 - Rene Oliveira
District 38 - Eddie Lucio III
District 39 - Armando "Mando" Martinez
District 40 - Aaron Peña
District 41 - Veronica Gonzales
District 42 - Richard Raymond
District 43 - Juan Escobar
District 45 - Patrick Rose
District 51 - Eddie Rodriguez
District 57 - Jim Dunnam
District 74 - Pete Gallego
District 75 - Chente Quintanilla
District 76 - Norma Chavez
District 77 - Paul Moreno
District 79 - Joe Pickett
District 80 - Tracy O. King
District 90 - Lon Burnam
District 95 - Marc Veasey
District 103 - Rafael Anchía
District 104 - Roberto Alonzo
District 106 - Kirk England
District 107 - Allen Vaught
District 110 - Barbara Mallory Caraway
District 111 - Yvonne Davis
District 116 - Trey Martinez Fischer
District 117 - David Leibowitz
District 118 - Joe Farias
District 123 - Mike Villarreal
District 124 - Jose Menendez
District 125 - Joaquin Castro
District 131 - Alma Allen
District 134 - Ellen Cohen
District 137 - Scott Hochberg
District 139 - Sylvester Turner
District 140 - Kevin Bailey
District 143 - Ana Hernandez
District 145 - Rick Noriega
District 147 - Garnet Coleman

Here’s a summary of the newspaper endorsements for Sam Houston’s campaign for the Texas Supreme Court:

“Sam Houston, Place 7.... He says the high court is stacked with justices who take a "results-oriented" and "activist" approach to the cases they review and cites legal studies showing large corporations are far more likely to win favorable rulings than the individuals who challenge them. A Baylor Law School graduate, Houston says he will work to restore balance by working hard and following the law.”

The Houston Chronicle

“[W]e're comfortable recommending Houston attorney Sam Houston, whose law partnership and background in business-related legal affairs equips him for the types of cases that dominate the Supreme Court's docket…. This race boils down to judgment and judicial temperament. Mr. Houston has it, and Mr. Cruz clearly lacks it.”

The Dallas Morning News

“We strongly recommend Houston.… Houston's résumé has substance. He is a West Texas native who has been practicing law for 20 years and has a ‘mixed civil litigation background.’ Houston said the state's all-Republican high court rules almost exclusively for defendants, a complaint echoed by other Democrats seeking a job on the court.”

The San Antonio Express-News

“Houston lawyer Sam Houston … has spent 20 years as a civil litigator … and has support from lawyers on both sides of the docket. He is board-certified -- meaning specialized education and testing -- in personal injury law and trial advocacy.... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Sam Houston in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"In the quest to unseat incumbent Justice Dale Wainwright on the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court and to begin the process of rebalancing the scales of justice, we support the candidacy of Democrat Sam Houston. Houston has more than 20 years of experience as a civil attorney in Space City and is board-certified in personal-injury trial law.... Houston's assessment that the Supremes have become "results-oriented" in their handling of cases, heavily favoring big-business defendants, is spot-on."

The Austin Chronicle

“Voters have a rare chance to cast a vote for Sam Houston, an experience civil trial lawyer who has practiced in state and federal courts for 20 years.”

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times

“Houston has practiced civil law for 20 years in Houston, having tried many cases ranging from personal injury to complex commercial cases. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell. An AV rating means Houston’s professional ability is very high (as well as his ethics). It is the highest rating that Martindale-Hubbell awards. Martindale-Hubbell has been rating attorneys based on peer reviews for more than a century…. Texas Monthly magazine also labeled Houston a ‘Super Lawyer.’ We recommend Houston for the Place 7, Supreme Court judge position.”

The Victoria Advocate

“Houston has the stronger legal background and can make a stronger case for his ability to challenger Republican incumbent Justice Dale Wainwright in the general election. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Houston in the primary.”

The Longview News-Journal

In addition to these newspaper endorsements, Sam Houston has the endorsements of the following organizations:

The Association of Women Attorneys
The Austin Black Lawyers Association
The Austin Progressive Coalition
The Capital Area Asian American Democrats
The Central Austin Democrats
The Harris County Democrats
The Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
The Houston GLBT Political Caucus
The Mexican American Democrats
The North by Northwest Democrats
The Nueces County Tejano Democrats
The Progressive Voters League of Dallas
The South Texas Tejano Democrats
The Stonewall Democrats of Dallas
The Texas AFL-CIO
The University Democrats
The West Austin Democrats

Here’s a summary of the newspaper endorsements for Justice Linda Yañez’s campaign for the Texas Supreme Court:

“Justice Linda R. Yañez convinced us that she's the better-suited candidate for this job.… Justice Yañez, 59, of Edinburg, was first appointed to the 13th Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Ann Richards and has since won election three times to the post, making her the court's senior justice. She holds a noteworthy list of honors and awards as a trail-blazing Hispanic lawyer and judge, including serving on President Bill Clinton's transition team.... Overall, we felt that Justice Yañez has a tighter grasp of the law and projects the more disciplined judicial demeanor, qualities that are mandatory for someone seeking a seat on the state Supreme Court.”

The Dallas Morning News

“Yañez has a strong work ethic, is widely respected in the legal community and has the practical experience formulating legal opinions that is the mainstay of a job on the state's highest court for civil matters.”

The Houston Chronicle

“… Justice Linda Yañez of the 13th Court of Criminal Appeals is our recommendation.… Yañez is an exceptionally good candidate. ... Yañez's 15 years of appellate experience is excellent preparation for the Supreme Court. She has written 850 opinions. The studious, serious judge is a former Harvard Law School instructor… Yañez is the Democrats' strongest option in this race.”

The San Antonio Express-News

“Yañez says that the current justices are too like-minded …. Yañez, 59, started her career as a legal aid lawyer, worked for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and has taught at the Harvard law school's immigration clinic and trial advocacy workshop..... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Linda Yañez in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Yañez's experience as an appellate jurist makes her the candidate best qualified for the job of civil high-court justice. Gov. Ann Richards first appointed Yañez to the bench in 1993, making her the first Latina appointed to the court and the first woman to sit on a Texas appeals bench. She has served well, developing a reputation as a reasonable jurist. Yañez's experience earns our support."

The Austin Chronicle

“The Editorial Board believes the best choice is Judge Yañez, senior justice on the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi.… As a youngster, she picked cotton in South Texas, went on to become a teacher, lawyer, and judge. She was an instructor at Harvard Law School and has lectured at a university law school in Valencia, Spain. She served on President Bill Clinton's transition team and was first appointed to the 13th Court by Gov. Ann Richards, becoming the first Hispanic woman named to any appellate court in Texas.... Yañez would make a strong addition to the Texas Supreme Court.”

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times

“She has the judicial experience with a proven appellate record and the temperament to serve on the state supreme court. We recommend Justice Yañez.”

The Victoria Advocate

“Yañez … has … a level of experience that far outweighs that of her opponent.… Yañez has garnered support across the state…. If Yañez can win the general election against Republican incumbent Justice Phil Johnson, her vow to engage the court with a fresh point of view would be a great asset. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Yañez in the primary.”

The Longview News-Journal

In addition to these newspaper endorsements, Justice Yañez has the endorsements of the following organizations:

The Association of Women Attorneys
The Austin Black Lawyers Association
The Austin Progressive Coalition
The Bexar County Young Democrats
The Central Austin Democrats
The Corpus Christi Central Labor Council
The El Paso Tejano Democrats
The Harris County Women’s Political Caucus
The Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
The Houston Black American Democrats
The Houston Stonewall Democrats
The Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
The Mexican American Democrats
The National Latino Police Officers Association of Harris County
The Nueces County Tejano Democrats
The Progressive Voters League of Dallas
The South Austin Democrats
The South Texas Tejano Democrats
The Southwest Austin Democrats
The Stonewall Democrats of Dallas
The Texas AFL-CIO
The University Democrats
The West Austin Democrats
The West El Paso Tejano Democrats

Texas Bar Poll Results - Congratulations to Democrats Molina, Yanez, Houston, Jordan & Strawn

The State Bar of Texas conducts a non-partisan polls of lawyers across Texas about the statewide judicial races as well as the various district-wide appellate court races.

The State Bar poll can be an indicator of the coming elections, and the State Bar poll offers a hope of change for the two high courts in Texas, which both desperately need change.

Congratulations are first due to J.R. Molina, who is running for the Court of Criminal Appeals, place 4. Molina got 3229 votes, the most votes of any candidate in the race (937 more than Republican incumbent Paul Womack and about twice as many as Womack’s Republican primary challenger, Robert Francis):

votes
3229 – J.R. Molina
2292 – Paul Womack
1616 – Robert Francis
831 – Dave Howard

Court of Criminal Appeals, place 4, could easily go Democratic in November.

Congratulations are also due to Linda Yanez, who got 346 more votes (over 14% more votes) than her Texas Supreme Court, place 8, primary opponent Susan Criss:

votes
3864 – Phil Johnson
2769 – Linda Yanez
2423 – Susan Criss
589 – Drew Shirley

If you add the votes for the Democratic candidates and compare them against the votes for the Republican incumbent, we win very easily 5192 to 3864. Texas Supreme Court, place 8, could also easily go Democratic in November.

More congratulations are due to Sam Houston, Democrat for Texas Supreme Court, place 8, who got 703 more votes (40% more) than his primary opponent Baltasar Cruz:

votes
4530 – Dale Wainwright
2456 – Sam Houston
1753 – Baltasar Cruz
989 – David Smith

If you add the Democratic votes plus the votes for Libertarian David Smith, we win 5198 to 4530, but the Libertarian vote is the margin which gives us the victory so we need to focus hard on this race.

Also, in the race for Court of Criminal Appeals, place 3, the Libertarian candidate’s support is more than the margin between Susan Strawn, Democratic challenger, versus Tom Price, Republican incumbent:

votes
3085 – Tom Price
2815 – Susan Strawn
500 – Matthew Eilers

Jim Jordan, the unopposed Democratic candidate running to challenge the incumbent Republican Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, has only just begun his campaign (because he is unopposed in the primary), and he deserves many congratulations for obtaining the second highest vote total among Democratic candidates, so we clearly need to rally around his candidacy.

In summary, the Texas Democrats who gathered the most votes are:

votes
3229 – J.R. Molina (in a four-way race with one Democrat)
2911 - Jim Jordan (in a three-way race with one Democrat)
2815 – Susan Strawn (in a three-way race with one Democrat)
2769 – Linda Yanez (in a four-way race with two Democrats)
2456 – Sam Houston (in a four-way race with two Democrats)
2423 – Susan Criss (in a four-way race with two Democrats)
1753 – Baltasar Cruz (in a four-way race with two Democrats)

There are also many very promising poll results for district-wide appellate court races at the link above.

Summary of Texas Supreme Court Newspaper & Organization Endorsements for Sam Houston & Linda Yanez

Here’s a summary of the newspaper endorsements for Sam Houston’s campaign for the Texas Supreme Court:

“Sam Houston, Place 7.... He says the high court is stacked with justices who take a "results-oriented" and "activist" approach to the cases they review and cites legal studies showing large corporations are far more likely to win favorable rulings than the individuals who challenge them. A Baylor Law School graduate, Houston says he will work to restore balance by working hard and following the law.”

The Houston Chronicle

“[W]e're comfortable recommending Houston attorney Sam Houston, whose law partnership and background in business-related legal affairs equips him for the types of cases that dominate the Supreme Court's docket…. This race boils down to judgment and judicial temperament. Mr. Houston has it, and Mr. Cruz clearly lacks it.”

The Dallas Morning News

“We strongly recommend Houston.… Houston's résumé has substance. He is a West Texas native who has been practicing law for 20 years and has a ‘mixed civil litigation background.’ Houston said the state's all-Republican high court rules almost exclusively for defendants, a complaint echoed by other Democrats seeking a job on the court.”

The San Antonio Express-News

“Houston lawyer Sam Houston … has spent 20 years as a civil litigator … and has support from lawyers on both sides of the docket. He is board-certified -- meaning specialized education and testing -- in personal injury law and trial advocacy.... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Sam Houston in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Voters have a rare chance to cast a vote for Sam Houston, an experience civil trial lawyer who has practiced in state and federal courts for 20 years.”

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times

“Houston has practiced civil law for 20 years in Houston, having tried many cases ranging from personal injury to complex commercial cases. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell. An AV rating means Houston’s professional ability is very high (as well as his ethics). It is the highest rating that Martindale-Hubbell awards. Martindale-Hubbell has been rating attorneys based on peer reviews for more than a century…. Texas Monthly magazine also labeled Houston a ‘Super Lawyer.’ We recommend Houston for the Place 7, Supreme Court judge position.”

The Victoria Advocate

“Houston has the stronger legal background and can make a stronger case for his ability to challenger Republican incumbent Justice Dale Wainwright in the general election. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Houston in the primary.”

The Longview News-Journal



In addition to these newspaper endorsements, Sam Houston has the endorsements of the following organizations:

The Association of Women Attorneys
The Austin Black Lawyers Association
The Austin Progressive Coalition
The Capital Area Asian American Democrats
The Central Austin Democrats
The Harris County Democrats
The Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
The Houston GLBT Political Caucus
The Mexican American Democrats
The North by Northwest Democrats
The Nueces County Tejano Democrats
The Progressive Voters League of Dallas
The South Texas Tejano Democrats
The Stonewall Democrats of Dallas
The Texas AFL-CIO
The University Democrats
The West Austin Democrats

Here’s a summary of the newspaper endorsements for Justice Linda Yañez’s campaign for the Texas Supreme Court:

“Justice Linda R. Yañez convinced us that she's the better-suited candidate for this job.… Justice Yañez, 59, of Edinburg, was first appointed to the 13th Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Ann Richards and has since won election three times to the post, making her the court's senior justice. She holds a noteworthy list of honors and awards as a trail-blazing Hispanic lawyer and judge, including serving on President Bill Clinton's transition team.... Overall, we felt that Justice Yañez has a tighter grasp of the law and projects the more disciplined judicial demeanor, qualities that are mandatory for someone seeking a seat on the state Supreme Court.”

The Dallas Morning News

“Yañez has a strong work ethic, is widely respected in the legal community and has the practical experience formulating legal opinions that is the mainstay of a job on the state's highest court for civil matters.”

The Houston Chronicle

“… Justice Linda Yañez of the 13th Court of Criminal Appeals is our recommendation.… Yañez is an exceptionally good candidate. ... Yañez's 15 years of appellate experience is excellent preparation for the Supreme Court. She has written 850 opinions. The studious, serious judge is a former Harvard Law School instructor… Yañez is the Democrats' strongest option in this race.”

The San Antonio Express-News

“Yañez says that the current justices are too like-minded …. Yañez, 59, started her career as a legal aid lawyer, worked for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and has taught at the Harvard law school's immigration clinic and trial advocacy workshop..... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Linda Yañez in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“The Editorial Board believes the best choice is Judge Yañez, senior justice on the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi.… As a youngster, she picked cotton in South Texas, went on to become a teacher, lawyer, and judge. She was an instructor at Harvard Law School and has lectured at a university law school in Valencia, Spain. She served on President Bill Clinton's transition team and was first appointed to the 13th Court by Gov. Ann Richards, becoming the first Hispanic woman named to any appellate court in Texas.... Yañez would make a strong addition to the Texas Supreme Court.”

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times

“She has the judicial experience with a proven appellate record and the temperament to serve on the state supreme court. We recommend Justice Yañez.”

The Victoria Advocate

“Yañez … has … a level of experience that far outweighs that of her opponent.… Yañez has garnered support across the state…. If Yañez can win the general election against Republican incumbent Justice Phil Johnson, her vow to engage the court with a fresh point of view would be a great asset. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Yañez in the primary.”

The Longview News-Journal

In addition to these newspaper endorsements, Justice Yañez has the endorsements of the following organizations:

The Association of Women Attorneys
The Austin Black Lawyers Association
The Austin Progressive Coalition
The Bexar County Young Democrats
The Central Austin Democrats
The Corpus Christi Central Labor Council
The El Paso Tejano Democrats
The Harris County Women’s Political Caucus
The Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
The Houston Black American Democrats
The Houston Stonewall Democrats
The Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
The Mexican American Democrats
The National Latino Police Officers Association of Harris County
The Nueces County Tejano Democrats
The Progressive Voters League of Dallas
The South Austin Democrats
The South Texas Tejano Democrats
The Southwest Austin Democrats
The Stonewall Democrats of Dallas
The Texas AFL-CIO
The University Democrats
The West Austin Democrats
The West El Paso Tejano Democrats

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Endorses Sam Houston and Justice Linda Yanez for Texas Supreme Court!

Supremely important - Star-Telegram:

It seemed that the Texas Supreme Court had finally shaken the "Justice for Sale" label that reflected a reputation as a haven for plaintiff's lawyers who bankrolled favored candidates. Then the court started drawing criticism as so business-oriented that it was ignoring valid jury verdicts.

So it's no surprise that Democrats trying to unseat three Republican justices are running on themes of change and diversity. (The nine-member court has been all-Republican since 1998.)...

Place 7

Houston lawyer Sam Houston claims no relation to the legendary Texas leader. However, he does say that he would bring balance to a court that seems to have swung too far in one direction.... Houston, 45, has spent 20 years as a civil litigator, mainly representing defendants such as insurance companies. But he said he also has represented plaintiffs and has support from lawyers on both sides of the docket. He is board-certified -- meaning specialized education and testing -- in personal injury law and trial advocacy.... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Sam Houston in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7.

Place 8

Justice Linda Yañez has been on the 13th Court of Appeals since 1993, deciding many of the kinds of cases that come before the Supreme Court. She has written more than 800 opinions for the appellate court, which is based in Corpus Christi and covers a 20-county area.

Yañez says that the current justices are too like-minded and that she would not only help foster more debate but, as a Latina, would add a voice that the court never has had. Yañez, 59, started her career as a legal aid lawyer, worked for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and has taught at the Harvard law school's immigration clinic and trial advocacy workshop.

The legal credentials of state District Judge Susan Criss of Galveston are more suited to the Court of Criminal Appeals than the Supreme Court's docket of business disputes, products liability, oil and gas cases, contracts, family law, medical malpractice and other civil matters.

Though her court hears criminal and civil matters, Criss, 46, is board-certified in criminal law, and her campaign materials tout her work as a prosecutor and "a tough advocate for stricter sanctions" against sex offenders.... The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Linda Yañez in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8.

Sam Houston's prior endorsements:

The Dallas Morning News,
The Houston Chronicle,
The San Antonio Express-News,
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Longview News-Journal and
The Victoria Advocate
Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Capital Area Asian American Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Dallas Morning News
Harris County Democrats
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Houston Chronicle
Houston GLBT Political Caucus
North by Northwest Democrats
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
Progressive Voters League of Dallas
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

Justice Linda Yanez's prior endorsements:

The Dallas Morning News,
The Houston Chronicle,
The San Antonio Express-News,
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Longview News-Journal and
The Victoria Advocate
Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Bexar County Young Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Corpus Christi Central Labor Council
El Paso Tejano Democrats
Harris County Women’s Political Caucus
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
Houston Black American Democrats
Houston Stonewall Democrats
Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
National Latino Police Officers Association of Harris County
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
Progressive Voters League of Dallas
South Austin Democrats
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Southwest Austin Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

The Victoria Advocate Endorses Yanez and Houston!

From the Victoria Advocate: Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8 --

Justice Linda Yanez has served since 1993 on 13th Court of Appeals, most recently as its senior justice. The court is one of Texas’ intermediate state courts hearing appeals in a district that includes Victoria and stretches down to the Rio Grande Valley. She’s now running in the Democratic primary for the Texas Supreme Court, Place 8.

Yanez received her law degree from Texas Southern University’s law school and subsequently earned a master of laws degree from the University of Virginia Law School. Prior to her appointment by then-Gov. Ann Richards to the 13th Court, she was in private practice.

She has the judicial experience with a proven appellate record and the temperament to serve on the state supreme court. We recommend Justice Yanez.

From the Victoria Advocate: Houston should be the judge in Place 7 --

Sam Houston is one of the Democratic candidates for Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7.

Houston graduated from Baylor Law School in 1987 after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas in 1984.

Houston has practiced civil law for 20 years in Houston, having tried many cases ranging from personal injury to complex commercial cases. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell. An AV rating means Houston’s professional ability is very high (as well as his ethics). It is the highest rating that Martindale-Hubbell awards. Martindale-Hubbell has been rating attorneys based on peer reviews for more than a century.

Houston has never been a state judge, but neither has his opponent, Baltasar Cruz of Dallas County.

Texas Monthly magazine also labeled Houston a “Super Lawyer.”

We recommend Houston for the Place 7, Supreme Court judge position.

So far, both Sam Houston and Linda Yanez have received the endorsements of the following newspapers:

The Dallas Morning News,
The Houston Chronicle,
The San Antonio Express-News,
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Longview News-Journal and
The Victoria Advocate

San Antonio Express-News Endorses Sam Houston and Linda Yanez

Supreme Court attracts Democratic contenders -- San Antonio Express-News:

The evidence suggests that Texas Democrats are beginning to believe they finally have a chance to win a statewide race again.

A Democrat hasn't accomplished that feat since 1994, but the fact that Texas Supreme Court races feature two Democratic primary competitions indicates a new sense of optimism has arrived.

In the Democratic primary for the seat held by Justice Dale Wainwright, Houston lawyer Sam Houston faces Baltasar Cruz of Dallas.

We strongly recommend Houston. Although he has the type of familiar name often exploited by candidates in Texas, Houston's résumé has substance. He is a West Texas native who has been practicing law for 20 years and has a "mixed civil litigation background."

Houston said the state's all-Republican high court rules almost exclusively for defendants, a complaint echoed by other Democrats seeking a job on the court....

In the Democratic primary race for the seat held by Justice Phil Johnson, Justice Linda Yañez of the 13th Court of Criminal Appeals is our recommendation. She faces state District Judge Susan Criss of Galveston.

Both candidates are adequately qualified, but Yañez is an exceptionally good candidate. ... Yañez's 15 years of appellate experience is excellent preparation for the Supreme Court. She has written 850 opinions.

The studious, serious judge is a former Harvard Law School instructor.

Criss is a former prosecutor, and her private practice experience involved criminal defense. Her trial court hears criminal and civil cases.

While Criss has produced innovative ideas as a trial judge, her strength is in criminal law and the Supreme Court deals strictly with civil cases.

Yañez is the Democrats' strongest option in this race.

So far, both Sam Houston and Linda Yanez have received the endorsements of the following newspapers:

The Dallas Morning News,
The Houston Chronicle,
The San Antonio Express-News,
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times and
The Longview News-Journal

The Longview News-Journal and Corpus Christi Caller-Times Both Endorse Houston and Yanez!

Here is an excerpt from The Longview News-Journal's endorsements:

PLACE 8: This race in the Democratic primary pits 13th Court of Appeals Justice Linda R. Yanez of Edinburg against District Judge Susan Criss of Galveston.

Yanez was appointed to the appeals bench by former Gov. Ann Richards and has since won re-election three times, giving her a level of experience that far outweighs that of her opponent. Criss is probably best known in Texas legal and political circles because she has been presiding over the court cases stemming from the deadly BP refinery explosion in 2005.

Yanez has garnered support across the state, with the Houston Chronicle praising her pledge to take a centrist's approach to a court that has been accused of being too ideologically conservative. If Yanez can win the general election against Republican incumbent Justice Phil Johnson, her vow to engage the court with a fresh point of view would be a great asset. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Yanez in the primary.

PLACE 7: This race involves two candidates who lack any judicial experience, a fact that we believe will be a great drawback in the general election. Houston attorney Sam Houston of Houston has a great deal of experience as a litigator handling civil cases in both state and federal courts for 20 years. Baltasar D. Cruz of Dallas is less known in legal circles and, although he has some admirable goals for improving the judicial process in Texas, really hasn't made a strong case that he belongs on the Texas Supreme Court.

Houston has the stronger legal background and can make a stronger case for his ability to challenger Republican incumbent Justice Dale Wainwright in the general election. That is why we recommend Democrats vote for Houston in the primary.

Here is an excerpt from the Caller-Times endorsements:

Vying for Place 8 on the Supreme Court are two challengers -- 13th Court of Appeals Judge Linda Yañez and Judge Susan Criss, a state district judge in Galveston. The Editorial Board believes the best choice is Judge Yañez, senior justice on the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi.

Yañez, of Edinburg, has an impressive record of achievement. As a youngster, she picked cotton in South Texas, went on to become a teacher, lawyer, and judge. She was an instructor at Harvard Law School and has lectured at a university law school in Valencia, Spain. She served on President Bill Clinton's transition team and was first appointed to the 13th Court by Gov. Ann Richards, becoming the first Hispanic woman named to any appellate court in Texas. She has won election three times to the 13th Court of Appeals. Yañez would make a strong addition to the Texas Supreme Court....

Vying for Place 7 on the Supreme Court are two attorneys from Houston and Dallas. Voters have a rare chance to cast a vote for Sam Houston, an experience civil trial lawyer who has practiced in state and federal courts for 20 years. Houston's opponent in the race is Dallas attorney Baltazar Cruz, who was characterized by his local paper as having "a shocking tendency for verbosity." He ran and lost a race for county judge two years ago.

This builds upon Houston's prior endorsements:

Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Capital Area Asian American Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Dallas Morning News
Harris County Democrats
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Houston Chronicle
Houston GLBT Political Caucus
North by Northwest Democrats
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
Progressive Voters League of Dallas
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

Here are Yanez's prior endorsements:

Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Bexar County Young Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Corpus Christi Central Labor Council
Dallas Morning News
El Paso Tejano Democrats
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
Houston Chronicle
Houston Stonewall Democrats
Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
National Latino Police Officers Association of Harris County
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
Progressive Voters League of Dallas
South Austin Democrats
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Southwest Austin Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

Houston and Yanez get endorsements from the Progressive Voters League of Dallas

Add this great endorsement from the Progressive Voters League of Dallas to Sam Houston's prior endorsements from

Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Capital Area Asian American Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Dallas Morning News
Harris County Democrats
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Houston Chronicle
Houston GLBT Political Caucus
North by Northwest Democrats
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

For Justice Linda Yanez, add the Progressive Voters League of Dallas to her list of endorsements which includes

Association of Women Attorneys
Austin Black Lawyers Association
Austin Progressive Coalition
Bexar County Young Democrats
Central Austin Democrats
Corpus Christi Central Labor Council
Dallas Morning News
El Paso Tejano Democrats
Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
Houston Chronicle
Houston Stonewall Democrats
Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
National Latino Police Officers Association of Harris County
Nueces County Tejano Democrats
South Austin Democrats
South Texas Tejano Democrats
Southwest Austin Democrats
Texas AFL-CIO
University Democrats
West Austin Democrats

The Houston Chronicle Endorses Yanez and Houston

The Chronicle recommends voters choose Sam Houston and Linda Yañez in Democratic primary races.

Based partly on hopes for a larger-than-typical turnout among Democratic voters, the party is running a stronger and fuller slate of candidates in primaries for judicial races in this election cycle than in many previous years. In the race to unseat justices on the Texas Supreme Court, that slate of strong Democratic challengers, along with questions about judicial ethics and a huge backlog of cases on the court, means Democratic primary voters should pay special attention before they cast their ballots on March 4.... In the two contested Democratic primaries for Texas Supreme Court, the Chronicle makes the following recommendations:

Sam Houston, Place 7.... He says the high court is stacked with justices who take a "results-oriented" and "activist" approach to the cases they review and cites legal studies showing large corporations are far more likely to win favorable rulings than the individuals who challenge them. A Baylor Law School graduate, Houston says he will work to restore balance by working hard and following the law. If he wins in March, Houston faces Republican incumbent Justice Dale Wainwright in the November general election.

Linda Yañez, Place 8. .... Yañez has a strong work ethic, is widely respected in the legal community and has the practical experience formulating legal opinions that is the mainstay of a job on the state's highest court for civil matters. A win in March will pit her against Republican incumbent Justice Phil Johnson when voters go to the polls in the November general election.

Dallas Morning News Endorses Houston and Yanez!

Here is an excerpt from the Dallas Morning News endorsement of Justice Linda Yanez:

... Justice Linda R. Yañez convinced us that she's the better-suited candidate for this job. The Supreme Court is no place for showboaters, and our concern with Galveston District Court Judge Susan Criss, 46, is that she might be too outspoken for a position that requires justices to measure their words.

Justice Yañez, 59, of Edinburg, was first appointed to the 13th Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Ann Richards and has since won election three times to the post, making her the court's senior justice. She holds a noteworthy list of honors and awards as a trail-blazing Hispanic lawyer and judge, including serving on President Bill Clinton's transition team.... Overall, we felt that Justice Yañez has a tighter grasp of the law and projects the more disciplined judicial demeanor, qualities that are mandatory for someone seeking a seat on the state Supreme Court.

Here an excerpt from the Dallas Morning News endorsement of Sam Houston (which is sort of funny):

... we're comfortable recommending Houston attorney Sam Houston, whose law partnership and background in business-related legal affairs equips him for the types of cases that dominate the Supreme Court's docket.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Dallas attorney Baltasar D. Cruz, displays a shocking penchant for verbosity. If he were to win a judicial seat, we worry that his difficulty keeping statements brief and focused would threaten to overwhelm a court already facing a significant backlog.

Where Mr. Cruz expounds at convoluted length to seemingly simple questions, Mr. Houston responds with clarity, thoughtfulness and brevity.

Mr. Houston also has an impressive list of high-profile endorsements, and his campaign war chest – $111,650 vs. Mr. Cruz's $2,500 – shows he is prepared for a statewide race.

Our opinion of Mr. Cruz hasn't changed from when he ran in a 2006 county election. His opponent, we felt, was unacceptable. After getting acquainted with Mr. Cruz, we decided neither deserved a recommendation.

This race boils down to judgment and judicial temperament. Mr. Houston has it, and Mr. Cruz clearly lacks it.

The Dallas Morning News also provides questionnaires from the candidates which are rich with information. Here are links:

Democrat Judge Jim Jordan for Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court vs. the incumbent, Republican Wallace Jefferson.

Democrats Justice Linda Yanez side-by-side with Judge Susan Criss for Texas Supreme Court Place 8 vs. the incumbent, Republican Phil Johnson.

Democrats Sam Houston side-by-side with Baltasar Cruz for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 vs. the incumbent, Republican Dale Wainwright.

Jefferson Fails to Lead the Court

In a shocking indictment of the Texas Supreme Court's failure to take care of business for the people of Texas, Janet Elliott of the San Antonio Express-News reported about "Cases piling up before justices":

At a time when the Texas Supreme Court's case backlog has reached record levels, Justice Paul Green was spending Friday driving to Corpus Christi to speak to a group of appeals lawyers. "It's 40 (degrees) and raining and I'm driving four hours to Corpus Christi," Green said from his cell phone. "Yes, I've got stuff to do at the office, but some of us like to do this."

Green, who wrote the fewest opinions — four — of the high court's nine justices during the 2007 fiscal year, said he thinks it's important to get out of the office and talk about the court's work. "If all of a sudden I said I'll just stay in my chambers and work on opinions, I don't think people would like that," Green said, adding that he has a "bunch of cases" that are ready to be issued.

Jim Jordan, a Democrat who is challenging Republican Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, has a different opinion.

He said Green needs to take care of the court's business before he travels to "schmooze" with lawyers. When parties in a legal dispute get to the Supreme Court, they already have been through an expensive and time-consuming trial and appeals process, said Jordan, a Dallas County trial judge.

"Texans don't need to be told they need to take a number and get in line and wait," Jordan said. "These kinds of delays create a distrust in the legal system."

At the end of 2007, the court left more cases pending than ever before. The court had heard arguments but not issued rulings in 111 cases, including 36 that were more than a year old and 13 others more than 2 years old.

Jefferson said he's concerned about the backlog but denied it's because the justices aren't working hard. He said the court disposed of a record number of cases last year, but also accepted more cases for review, a trend since 2005.

Green is one of three justices facing ethics complaints about payments to themselves from their campaign accounts for travel. Green reimbursed himself nearly $16,000 for 272 trips between Austin and San Antonio, his former hometown.

Texas Supreme Court Endorsements!

The North by Northwest Democrats endorsed Sam Houston.

The West Austin Democrats endorsed Sam Houston (by a 93% to 7% landslide) and endorsed Linda Yanez (by an 88% to 12% landslide).

The Association of Women Attorneys endorsed Sam Houston and endorsed Linda Yanez.

The Austin Progressive Coalition endorsed Sam Houston and endorsed Linda Yanez.

The Central Austin Democrats endorsed Sam Houston and endorsed Linda Yanez.

The University Democrats endorsed Sam Houston and endorsed Linda Yanez.

The Texas AFL-CIO endorsed Sam Houston and endorsed Jim Jordan (with a dual endorsement for Linda Yanez).

The South Austin Democrats endorsed Linda Yanez.

The Southwest Austin Democrats endorsed Linda Yanez.

We Have Three Great Judicial Candidates!

This blog will offer an in depth discussion of our great candidates for Texas Supreme Court, but as a preview of that longer discussion, here are some initial thoughts about our best candidates:

Sam Houston's practice as an attorney for over 20 years has included representing people on both sides of the docket in business litigation and injury cases as well as representing people in administrative proceedings.

Houston is board certified by the state bar as an expert lawyer and he is recognized as an outstanding advocate by his peers and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the American Board of Trial Advocates and and by the Texas Psychological Association and by Houston Magazine's article on "Houston's Top Lawyers" as well as Texas Monthly's ranking of "Super Lawyers."

For more, go to samhoustonforjustice.com



Justice Linda Yanez has been an attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation, counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, "Outstanding Lawyer" and "Lawyer of the Year" award recipient from the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, an adviser to President Bill Clinton on immigration matters, a teacher at Harvard Law School, and after becoming the first Latina to have served on any Texas appeals court she has been an appellate judge for 15 years.

Justice Yanez is Texas' most progressive advocate for justice. When Wainwright got the Duenez case wrong, Justice Yanez was the appellate court judge who got the case right. Justice Yanez also wrote a great law review article entitled “Local Police Involvement in the Enforcement of Immigration Law.”

For more, go to lindayanez.com



Judge Jim Jordan first served as a judge over 20 years ago and is widely respected as a very fair judge in Dallas. Judge Jordan's community-oriented values are well reflected by his contributions to Habitat for Humanity, the State Bar's lawyer Grievance Committee, SMU's Trial Advocacy Program, Scouting, the YMCA's Indian Guide program, and various support organizations benefitting Nathan Adams Elementary and W.T. White High School.

For more, go to dallascourts.com

Wainwright is a Right-Wing Judicial Activist

Dale Wainwright is a one-judge case study into what is wrong with the Texas judicial system.

Here are just a couple of Wainwright’s most shamefully bad judicial decisions.

Igal v. Brightstar Information Technology Group

This was a 5 to 4 decision, which means that if Texans had elected just one less anti-worker judge, the outcome would have been different.

Wainwright held that an employer could use the Texas Payday Law’s 180-day deadline to file a wage claim to stop a worker from pursuing a claim for unpaid salary in court, which has a two-year deadline.

Here is what the other four judges on the court had to say about Wainwright’s bad opinion:

The Texas Legislature passed the Payday Law to give unpaid workers a quick alternative to lengthy civil litigation. But today the Court holds they lose everything if they pursue that alternative a little too late, even though years remain to file suit in court. This is not about biting apples twice; this is about a man’s wages, a claim that like many others can be filed a second time if the first disposition was not on the merits. By holding Payday claims dismissed for tardiness cannot be refiled in court, the Court converts a law giving extra options to workers into a trap where they may forfeit all their rights. Because I agree with the state agency entrusted with these claims that this could not possibly be what the Legislature intended, I respectfully dissent…. I disagree that an order dismissing a Payday claim as untimely precludes a subsequent suit. Res judicata attaches only to a judgment on the merits. There are at least five reasons why the Texas Workforce Commission’s order here is not one.

First, the Commission itself says so. In its amicus brief supporting Igal’s right to file suit in court, the Commission says “res judicata does not apply ... because TWC’s order was not a judgment on the merits but a procedural dismissal for untimeliness.” How can the Court hold the Commission intended a merits dismissal when the Commission itself stipulates that it did not? …

Second, the order itself shows that Igal’s contract rights were considered only for the purpose of deciding whether his claim was untimely....

Third, to presume the Commission made a ruling on the merits, we must presume it made a clear error. ... We should not presume the Commission committed an error by reaching the merits when it could not.

Fourth, Brightstar insisted throughout the Commission proceedings that Igal’s claim was untimely. ... Having obtained success on that ground, Brightstar should not be allowed to change its position when the claim was refiled in court.

Fifth, … The Legislature has chosen to give Texans asserting Payday claims two different ways to proceed. That being the case, this Court has no business saying that if they try one too late, then they get none at all. The Commission properly dismissed Igal’s Payday claim as late, but that does not preclude his common law claim which was filed on time. Because the Court holds otherwise, I respectfully dissent.

F.F.P. Operating Partners, L.P. v. Dueñez

Wainwright handed down his opinion on rehearing a decade after a convenience store sold beer to an obviously drunk pick-up truck driver. Wainwright decided that he could second guess the Texas Legislature and conclude that convenience store should not be responsible for its own reckless actions.

Here is what another judge on the court had to say about Wainwright's bad opinion:

Between the time the Court issued its original decision in this case and the date rehearing was granted, more than seven months passed and three members of the former majority left the Court. The motion for rehearing raises no new issues; every point was thoroughly considered by the Court in its prior decision. While the motion for rehearing was pending, the Legislature convened without taking any action to alter this Court's original interpretation. Nevertheless, the Court today withdraws the prior opinion, reaches the opposite result, and accomplishes judicially what the Legislature itself declined to do.... In sum, the disagreement in this case is, and has always been, over what the Legislature meant in the Dram Shop Act when it referred to "the liability of providers under this chapter for the actions of their customers ... who are or become intoxicated." ... Over two years ago, the Court considered this language significant and straightforward, and afforded the Legislature deference in choosing it.... Today the Court usurps the legislative function and dilutes the deterrent protections the Dram Shop Act was designed to afford.

Still another judge on the court had this further criticism of Wainwright's bad opinion:

If a bar sells liquor to a person so "obviously intoxicated" that he is "a clear danger to himself and others," to what extent does the sale "proximately cause" the harm that person inflicts when he gets behind the wheel? The Legislature has answered that it does not matter. If the bar sells to a drunk, it must pay damages when the drunk’s intoxication (not the provider’s sale) causes the sort of trauma that forms the heart of this case. The Legislature plainly believes that deterring such a sale is sound public policy.... Under the Court’s construction, however, the bar may avoid liability precisely because its patron was so "obviously intoxicated" and such a "clear danger" that the sale could not have proximately caused carnage on a Texas road. The dram shop thus has a perverse incentive to establish at trial that its customer was in such a drunken state that selling him "one for the road" could not have contributed to the harm his intoxication later caused.... The Legislature meant to make providers liable whether or not their conduct played a causative role in subsequent harm. The Court’s holding eviscerates that policy choice and requires that the Dueñezes prove not only that Ruiz consumed F.F.P.’s alcohol, but also that his consumption so aggravated the danger he posed pre-sale that the sale (and not just his prior intoxicated condition) "caused" the ultimate harm. But the statute does not require that the patron consume the alcohol, that the sale aggravate the patron’s prior intoxication, or that the provider play any role in causing or contributing to the accident. Ironically, under the Court’s interpretation, the provider now has an incentive to establish that its patron was so drunk at the time of sale that its conduct could not, as a matter of law, have contributed to the harm the patron ultimately caused. As a result, the very instrument that the Legislature employed to deter drunk driving (liability for serving a drunk) becomes a means to escape responsibility entirely.

Johnson, Wainwright, and Jefferson Must Be Stopped!

This election, Texas voters will have a clear choice in electing judges for the Texas Supreme Court.

We have the current judges, who are in the pocket of big insurance companies. These biased judges who put the interests of out-of-state insurance companies ahead of Texas citizens are Phil Johnson, Dale Wainwright, and Wallace Jefferson.

Running against these three pro-insurance/anti-citizen judges are three great Texans: Justice Linda Yanez, respected attorney Sam Houston, and Judge Jim Jordan.

This blog will be devoted to illustrating why biased judges like Johnson, Wainwright, and Jefferson must be stopped, and why great Texans like Justice Yanez, Houston, and Judge Jordan are the candidates who will win back the Texas Supreme Court for ordinary Texans!