Craig Jones (Texas)
Craig Jones was a 2016 candidate for the Texas 84th District Court in Texas.[1] He was defeated in the primary election on March 1, 2016.
Education
Jones earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Abilene Christian University. He later received his J.D. from the Baylor University School of Law.[2]
Career
Jones began practicing as an attorney with Mitchell & Jones in 1999.[2]
Campaign themes
2016
Jones' campaign website listed the following themes for his 2016 campaign:
Broad-Based Civil & Criminal Legal Experience
| “ |
In the course of its business, the 84th District Court is daily faced with decisions which must be made in a wide variety of civil and criminal matters. While a good part of the cases involve criminal and family law matters, there are often complex business or oil & gas disputes, contested probate & guardianship matters, or even important personal injury claims which arise from serious bodily injury or death. I am now in my 20th year of handling these very cases. Whether it be representing clients in small claims or district court, arguing in a preliminary hearing or at oral argument in an appeals court, whether appearing before a judge or before a jury, I have handled a vast majority of the legal matters which will come before me as 84th District Judge. My professional experience much more closely resembles that of the most recent judges who have served the 84th and the neighboring 316th District. By comparison, Hon. Bill Smith and Hon. John Lagrone practiced 15 years before running for judge. More recently, my former law partner, James Mosley, was a practicing lawyer for 16 years when he ran. My nineteen-plus years of practice make me the most qualified candidate to continue the outstanding tradition that these men have maintained. It is also important to note, however, that although I am 11 years older than my opponent, I have continued to remain current with the latest trends and improvements in technology and happily embrace evolving court procedures and the use of cutting-edge equipment that will help the 84th to become more efficient and user-friendly, while remaining cost-effective for the benefit of you, the taxpayer. |
” |
| —Craig Jones (2016), [4] | ||
A Servant's Heart
| “ |
Throughout my career, I have done my best to make myself available to serve when called. Holding public office at this point in my life has not been a long-term, or even a short-term, goal. However, because I recognize that there is a need for an experienced lawyer to step up and serve you, the citizens of the 84th District, with excellence, I have decided that I will serve my community again. There has not been a time in my professional life that I was not doing my dead-level best to serve my fellow citizens here in the Texas panhandle. I have been called to serve in local churches as an elder, worship leader, small-group leader, bible class teacher, and chairman of countless boards and campaigns. I was privileged to be asked to join the Rotary Club when I moved to Borger and, once there, served as treasurer, Club President, and Assistant Governor for the district, which includes Borger, Spearman, and Perryton. My professional peers have seen fit to include me as a board member in both bar associations of which I am a member and on the State Bar of Texas District Grievance Committee, whose duty is to police the ethical behavior of lawyers in our district, an area that reaches from Levelland all the way up to Perryton, and from Stratford on down to Guthrie. I currently serve, as I have for many years, as the President of the Frank Phillips College Development Corporation, which is charged with building, maintaining, and protecting a multi-million dollar endowment for FPC to help ensure its successful existence far into the future. As I consider where I am to serve next, the 84th District Court seems to me to be the logical next place for me to serve. [3] |
” |
| —Craig Jones (2016), [4] | ||
Proven, Trusted Leadership
| “ |
In all of the capacities listed above, in which I have been privileged to serve, I have also always been asked to LEAD. Whether it be at church, in my civic club, in my profession, or elsewhere in the community, I have been selected by my peers to be a leader. Most notably, I have served for the past year as Panel Chair of the District Grievance Committee, which has allowed me to both facilitate numerous hearings to consider claims of professional misconduct by lawyers and to also perform many functions similar to that of a judge, such as conducting hearings on preliminary motions and approving/signing orders. In my opinion, not only is it important to gain experience at something, but it is even more invaluable if you have had the ultimate authority and responsibility for getting things done. I have. [3] |
” |
| —Craig Jones (2016), [4] | ||
A Political Outsider
| “ |
I’ve never worked for the government in my professional life. Don’t get me wrong; I work with fine government employees every day of my career who I admire and who I call my personal friends. Sometimes, however, it is important, I believe, to have a fresh set of eyes on an office; someone who isn’t already a part of “the system.” Being a life-long Reagan conservative, I desire a return to the days when citizens left their farms, businesses, and ordinary lives to serve the public when called, not what is now the norm, where public officials simply move up to a higher position within government. We need more statesmen and stateswomen, not politicians, in public office. As a business owner for 15+ years, I have had to keep the bottom line in mind and manage finances in a way that I believe will benefit the taxpayers of this district. While I will certainly utilize the financial resources allocated to the Court to make it the most efficient and successful it can be, I will take every opportunity I have to save your hard-earned money. We will not do things like the government has always done it in my court, unless that way is the most effective and economical way. I will also bring no allegiances or relationships into office which might raise even the appearance of a conflict of interest, in that I have not been an employee or assistant of the sitting District Attorney who will be, directly or indirectly, prosecuting all of the criminal cases which come before the Court in Hutchinson and Hansford Counties. Should former clients or former business associates come before the Court, which is quite possible given my work in this area for so many years, there are rules and procedures in place to ensure that the highest standards of fairness and integrity are observed. [3] |
” |
| —Craig Jones (2016), [4] | ||
Maturity You Can Count On
| “ |
Presiding over some of the most important matters that we as human beings face in this life, in my opinion, is like many other vitally important tasks, in that it is usually best to have someone with more years on the odometer to make these decisions. I have run a successful small business and maintained an outstanding law practice for more than twice as long as my opponent has been licensed to practice law. Both of my kids are raised and will be out of the house before I take office, leaving me with countless lessons on discipline, justice, and human behavior. My interactions with the criminally accused, professional peers, and clients of all different backgrounds and personalities over a multitude of years have prepared me for the everyday duties of being a district judge. This level of maturity will be important, as a general matter, in the conduct of the 84th’s business, but more specifically, with regard to the business of the Court in Ochiltree County, where it is likely that a new District/County Attorney with lesser experience will be taking office simultaneously with me. I have a good professional relationship with candidate Joe Meraz, and I look forward to assisting him in making a transition to being a fine prosecutor and advocate for kids in our child welfare system. [3] |
” |
| —Craig Jones (2016), [4] | ||
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.[5] Curt Brancheau defeated Craig Jones in the Texas 84th District Court Republican primary.[1]
| Texas 84th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Curt Brancheau |
56.09% | 2,684 |
| Craig Jones | 43.91% | 2,101 |
| Total Votes | 4,785 | |
| Source: NewsChannel 10, "Hutchinson County Ballot," March 1, 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.[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]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Craig Jones for 84th District Court Judge, "Meet Craig Jones," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Craig Jones for 84th District Court Judge, "Why Vote for Jones?" accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," 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
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
