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Barbara Walther
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Barbara Walther was the judge for District 51 in Texas. She was first elected to the court in 1992.[1] Walther retired October 31, 2018.[2]
Walther ran unsuccessfully for election to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (Place 3) in 2014.[3]
Elections
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.[4] Incumbent Barbara Walther ran unopposed in the Texas 51st District Court Republican primary.[5]
| Texas 51st District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Barbara Walther Incumbent | ||
Barbara Walther won without opposition in the general election.
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.[6]
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."[7]
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;*[8]
- 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.[6]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[6]
2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Walther ran for election to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Primary: She was defeated in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 39.6 percent of the vote. She competed against Bert Richardson.
[3][9][10]
Judicial poll
Below are the results of the 2014 judicial poll, conducted by the State Bar of Texas, which asked attorneys to cast a vote in favor of their preferred candidate in each appellate race.[11]
| Place 3 Judge | |
| Candidate: | Votes: |
|---|---|
| Mark Bennett | 2083 |
| John Granberg | 1802 |
| Bert Richardson | 2166 |
| Barbara Walther | 2115 |
Endorsements
Walther was endorsed by the following organizations, as listed on her campaign website:
|
|
2012
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Walther was re-elected without opposition to the 51st District Court.[1]
Education
Walther received an associate degree from Stephens College. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law.[13][14]
Career
Walther began her career as a private practice attorney in Dallas, Texas. She worked in this position until 1983, when she moved her practice to San Angelo. In 1987, she was appointed a Title IV-D Family Law Master for the 7th Judicial Administrative Judicial Region. She was then elected judge of the 51st District Court in 1992.[13]
Awards and associations
- 2008: Outstanding Jurist Award, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Texas Chapter
- 2007: Presidential Citation from State Bar President Martha Dickie
- 2004: San Angelo Angel, San Angelo Schools Foundation
- 1997: Named one of 85 Texas Women of Distinction, Girl Scout Councils of Texas
- Texas Bar Foundation
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas Center for the Judiciary
- Member, Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee
- Faculty member, Texas Center and Judicial Section education programs
- Community Advisory Board, Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health[13]
Noteworthy cases
FLDS and Warren Jeffs child custody case
Walther was a judge on the child custody case involving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) that was raided by Texas authorities after receiving an anonymous phone call that there was abuse occurring on the FLDS compound. This led to the removal of 437 children, who were found by the court to be suffering from abuse due to the group's polygamist views.[15] Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Mormon sect, was later sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting two underage girls.[16]
Judge Walther, stated:
| “ | The court has ruled the conditions those children were in were not safe for the children.[17][18] | ” |
Scott Henson of the Dallas Morning News responded to the judge in an op-ed piece, writing:
| “ | You've ruled the existence of five girls between 16 and 19 who were pregnant or had children was evidence of systematic abuse, even though in Texas 16-year-olds can marry with parental consent. You've ruled young toddlers are in "immediate" danger because of their parents' beliefs or what might happen 15 years from now, not because anyone abuses them.[17][18] | ” |
Results following appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the life sentence, plus 20 years, which Walther imposed for FLDS sect leader Warren Jeffs, following his trial.[19]
However, in a separate ruling, the Texas Supreme Court found when Walther ordered child protective services to remove 416 FLDS children from the custody of their mothers, she abused her discretion.[19]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Summary," accessed October 8, 2014 Select "2012 General Election"
- ↑ San Angelo Standard-Times, "51st District Judge Barbara Walther is retiring after decades on bench in San Angelo area," September 24, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Republican Party Primary Election, Unofficial Results," 2014
- ↑ State Bar of Texas "Judicial Poll results," 2014
- ↑ Barbara Walther campaign website, "Walther campaign homepage," archived February 25, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Barbara Walther campaign website, "Biography," archived on February 24, 2014
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: Barbara Lane Walther," accessed October 8, 2014
- ↑ Deseret News, "Calls from 'Sarah' kept on coming," April 24, 2008
- ↑ Reuters, "Texas jury sentences polygamist leader to life," August 9, 2011
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Dallas Morning News, "Scott Henson: Where's the evidence of abuse?" April 23, 2008]
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Monitor, "7 candidates vie for chance to reshape Texas Criminal Court," February 11, 2014
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
