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Alexandra Smoots-Thomas
Alexandra Smoots-Thomas was a judge of the Texas 164th District Court. She left office in 2020.
Smoots-Thomas (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 164th District Court. She lost in the Democratic primary runoff on July 14, 2020.
In 2019, Smoots-Thomas was suspended from the court after she was charged with inappropriate use of campaign funds. Click here to learn more.
Biography
Smooths-Thomas received her undergraduate degree from University of St. Thomas and her J.D. from South Texas College of Law.[1] Prior to her election, she worked in private practice.[2]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)
General election
General election for Texas 164th District Court
Cheryl Elliott Thornton defeated incumbent Michael Landrum in the general election for Texas 164th District Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cheryl Elliott Thornton (D) | 53.6 | 835,266 | |
 | Michael Landrum (R) | 46.4 | 724,033 | |
| Total votes: 1,559,299 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Texas 164th District Court
Cheryl Elliott Thornton defeated incumbent Alexandra Smoots-Thomas in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas 164th District Court on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cheryl Elliott Thornton | 71.0 | 107,977 | |
 | Alexandra Smoots-Thomas | 29.0 | 44,149 | |
| Total votes: 152,126 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 164th District Court
Cheryl Elliott Thornton and incumbent Alexandra Smoots-Thomas advanced to a runoff. They defeated Grant Harvey in the Democratic primary for Texas 164th District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cheryl Elliott Thornton | 41.3 | 103,179 | |
| ✔ | | Alexandra Smoots-Thomas | 33.0 | 82,590 |
| Grant Harvey | 25.7 | 64,205 | ||
| Total votes: 249,974 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas 164th District Court
Incumbent Michael Landrum advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 164th District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Landrum | 100.0 | 154,552 |
| Total votes: 154,552 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Texas held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016. A primary runoff election was held on May 24, 2016, for any seat where the top vote recipient did not receive a majority of the primary vote.[3] Incumbent Alexandra Smoots-Thomas ran unopposed in the Texas 164th District Court Democratic primary.[4]
| Texas 164th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Alexandra Smoots-Thomas Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 146,232 |
| Total Votes | 146,232 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Incumbent Alexandra Smoots-Thomas defeated Bruce Bain in the Texas 164th District Court general election.
| Texas 164th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Alexandra Smoots-Thomas Incumbent |
52.92% | 671,319 | |
| Republican | Bruce Bain | 47.08% | 597,124 | |
| Total Votes | 1,268,443 | |||
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 2016 | ||||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[5]
Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."[6]
Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 25 and 75;*[7]
- a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
- a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.[5]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[5]
2012
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Smoots-Thomas ran for re-election to the 164th District Court and defeated challenger Bud Wiesedeppe with 51.4 percent of the vote.[8][9]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Alexandra Smoots-Thomas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Smoots-Thomas convicted of wire fraud (2020)
Smoots-Thomas pleaded guilty to using campaign funds for personal use on September 17, 2020. She allegedly filed false campaign finance reports to conceal the expenditures from the Texas Ethics Commission. Smoots-Thomas was convicted on one count of wire fraud by the Department of Justice and sentenced to three years of probation.[10][11] She resigned her law license in October 2020.[12]
Smoots-Thomas was charged with seven counts of wire fraud on October 24, 2019. The federal indictment stated that she allegedly used campaign funds from her 2012 and 2016 campaigns for non-campaign expenses, including school tuition, vacation airfare, mortgage payments, and personal luxury items. The charges added up to over $20,000.[13]
Smoots-Thomas initially denied the allegations. Her attorney said that Smoots-Thomas had reimbursed the charges.[14] She was suspended from the court bench on November 12, 2019.[15]
Smoots-Hogan arrested after accusation of firing gun at husband's girlfriend (2020)
On August 12, 2020, Smoots-Hogan was arrested following an accusation that she fired a shotgun during an argument with her husband's girlfriend. Ballotpedia did not identify any comments from Smoots-Hogan or her attorney at the time of the incident.[16]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Martindale.com Profile
- ↑ Campaign Website Bio
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedhcr - ↑ The United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas, "Former local judge convicted of fraud," accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ Law.com, "Houston Ex-Judge Sentenced for Wire Fraud, But Aggravated Assault Case Is Just Beginning." accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ Law.com, "Fall From Grace: Houston Ex-Judge Resigns Her Law License," accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ KHOU 11, "Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas suspended following federal indictment," accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ KHOU 11, "Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas indicted on allegations of wire fraud," November 8, 2019
- ↑ The Texas Lawbook, "Chron: District Judge in Harris County Suspended After Federal Indictment," accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Suspended Harris County judge arrested, accused of firing gun during fight with husband's girlfriend," August 12, 2020
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
