David Gaultney
David Gaultney was a judge on the Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals. He was elected to this position on November 7, 2000.[1] Gaultney was re-elected in 2006 and 2012. He retired from the bench in November of 2013.[2][3][4][5]
Education
Gaultney graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1976 with a B.A. degree and from the University of Texas in 1979 with a J.D. degree. He went on to earn a master of laws degree from the University of Houston in 1993.[3]
Career
After law school, Gaultney joined the firm Mehaffy & Weber. He practiced with this firm until 2000, when he was elected to the Court of Appeals. During this time, he was certified in civil appellate law, civil trial law and personal injury trial law. Gaultney was appointed to two three-year terms on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee in 2003 and 2006.[3]
2012 election
Gaultney ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012 and was re-elected with 100 percent of the vote.[6] [7][4]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Noteworthy cases
Tom DeLay's convictions for illegal campaign contributions, overturned
On September 19, 2013, Tom DeLay, the former Republican Party House Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, was acquitted of all charges, overturning his 2010 conviction for his illegal campaign finance activities in the 2002 Texas elections.[8]
In 2010, DeLay had been convicted of conspiracy and money laundering for illegally funneling money from corporations to Texas candidates. He was sentenced to three years in prison and it effectively ended his political career. Following conviction, DeLay was out on bail, pending his appeal. The prosecution argued that DeLay's motives involved gaining a Republican majority in the Texas State Legislature, redrawing district lines, and thereby keeping a political stronghold in the United States House of Representatives.[9]
The Texas Third District Court of Appeals overturned DeLay's convictions. Justice Melissa Goodwin wrote the majority opinion and was joined by Justice Gaultney.[8]
Justice Goodwin, in her opinion, stated: “The fundamental problem with the State’s case was its failure to prove proceeds of criminal activity.” Justice Jones, in his dissent, opined: "A rational juror hearing the evidence presented in this trial could have found that the relevant corporate contributions to TRMPAC (Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee) were made with the intent that they be used to support individual candidates or be put to other purposes not authorized by the state election laws."[9]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Texas election results" see 2000 General Election results
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Judges' terms"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals, "Official biography of Justice Gaultney"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 2012 Texas Summary Vote-Results
- ↑ The Villager, "Strong candidate turnout expected for ’14 primary," November 8, 2013
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Summary" Select "2012 General Election"
- ↑ Texas Republican Party, "2012 Candidate Filing"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 NPR.org, "Tom DeLay's Conviction Overturned On Appeal," September 19, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Statesman.com, "DeLay appellate lawyer: ‘We won the Super Bowl’," September 19, 2013
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
