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
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