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Debra Lehrmann
2010 - Present
2029
15
Debra Lehrmann (Republican Party) is a judge for Place 3 of the Texas Supreme Court. She assumed office on June 21, 2010. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.
Lehrmann (Republican Party) ran for re-election for the Place 3 judge of the Texas Supreme Court. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Governor Rick Perry (R) appointed Lehrmann to the Texas Supreme Court on June 21, 2010, to succeed Harriet O'Neill.[1][2] To read more about judicial selection in Texas, click here.
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country. As part of this study, we assigned each justice a Confidence Score describing our confidence in the degree of partisanship exhibited by the justices' past partisan behavior, before they joined the court.[3] Lehrmann received a confidence score of Strong Republican.[4] Click here to read more about this study.
Biography
Education
Lehrmann earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas in 1979 and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1982.[5][1]
Career
After graduating from law school, Lehrmann joined the firm Law, Snakard & Gambill, where she practiced family law. From private practice, she was appointed to the 360th District Court in Tarrant County. She served in the Family Division. Lehrmann was appointed to the court by Republican Governor George W. Bush and served there for 23 years.[2][5]
Lehrmann has authored two legal treatises: the Texas Annotated Family Code and the Court-Appointed Legal Representation of Children in Texas Family Law Cases—a Practical Guide for Attorneys.[6] She was the 2010-2011 chair for the American Bar Association Section of Family Law.[7]
Awards
- 2009: Judge Eva Barnes Award
- 2003: Outstanding Bar Journal Award, Texas Bar Foundation
- 1990: Outstanding Young Lawyer of Tarrant County
- Scott Moore Award, Court Appointed Special Advocates[7]
Elections
2022
See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2022
General election
General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 3
Incumbent Debra Lehrmann defeated Erin Nowell and Tom Oxford in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Debra Lehrmann (R) | 56.2 | 4,475,136 |
 | Erin Nowell (D) | 41.8 | 3,330,529 | |
 | Tom Oxford (L) | 2.0 | 162,036 | |
| Total votes: 7,967,701 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3
Erin Nowell advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Erin Nowell | 100.0 | 914,184 |
| Total votes: 914,184 | |||
| = 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 Supreme Court Place 3
Incumbent Debra Lehrmann advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debra Lehrmann | 100.0 | 1,535,581 |
| Total votes: 1,535,581 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 3
Tom Oxford advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on April 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Oxford (L) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
2016
- Main article: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2016
Lehrmann ran for re-election in 2016. She defeated Texas First District Court of Appeals Judge Michael Massengale in the Republican primary and faced Mike Westergren (D), Kathie Glass (Lib.), and Rodolfo Rivera Munoz (Green) on November 8.[8]
Election results
November 8 general election
| Texas Supreme Court, Place 3, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Debra Lehrmann Incumbent |
54.84% | 4,807,986 | |
| Democratic | Mike Westergren | 38.53% | 3,378,163 | |
| Libertarian | Kathie Glass | 3.97% | 348,376 | |
| Green | Rodolfo Rivera Munoz | 2.65% | 232,646 | |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 8,767,171 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
March 1 primary election
| Texas Supreme Court, Place 3, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Debra Lehrmann Incumbent |
52.22% | 1,131,998 | |
| Republican | Michael Massengale | 47.78% | 1,035,840 | |
| Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 2,167,838 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Endorsements
2010
- Main article: Texas judicial elections, 2010
Lehrmann defeated Rick Green in the Republican primary runoff election. She next defeated Jim Sharp in the general election, winning 59.9% of the vote.[9]
2010
Governor Rick Perry appointed Lehrmann to the Texas Supreme Court on June 21, 2010, to succeed Harriet O'Neill.[2]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Debra Lehrmann did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Analysis
Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)
Debra
Lehrmann
Texas
- Partisan Confidence Score:
Strong Republican - Judicial Selection Method:
Elected - Key Factors:
- Was a registered Republican as of 2020
- Donated less than $2,000 to Republican candidates
- Received donations from Republican-affiliated individuals or organizations
Partisan Profile
Details:
Lehrmann ran as a Republican. She donated $450 to Republican organizations. Vinson & Elkins Texas PAC donated $43,562 to her campaign, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP donated $25,000 to her campaign, and The Good Government Fund of Fort Worth donated $25,000 to her campaign, all of which donate to Republican candidates more frequently than Democratic candidates.
Other Scores:
Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Lehrmann received a campaign finance score of 0.86, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was less conservative than the average score of 0.91 that justices received in Texas.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[10]
Noteworthy events
On May 21, 2020, Lehrmann announced that she and her husband tested positive for COVID-19.[11]
State supreme court judicial selection in Texas
- See also: Judicial selection in Texas
The nine justices of the Texas Supreme Court are selected in statewide partisan elections. The elected justices serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[12]
Qualifications
To serve on the Supreme Court, a justice must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 35 and 75;[13][14] and
- a practicing lawyer and/or justice for at least 10 years.[12]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court is selected by voters at large. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[12]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement who must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election, in which he or she may compete to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.[12]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas Supreme Court Place 3 |
Officeholder Texas Supreme Court Place 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Houston Chronicle, "For Texas' high court," March 21, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Austin Legal, "Newest Texas justice sworn in," June 21, 2010
- ↑ We calculated confidence scores by collecting several data points such as party registration, donations, and previous political campaigns.
- ↑ The five possible confidence scores were: Strong Democrat, Mild Democrat, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Texas Judicial Branch, "Justice Debra Lehrmann," accessed February 1, 2019
- ↑ Awake America, "Debra Lehrmann Résumé," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 National Association of Women Judges, "Debra H. Lehrmann," accessed August 9, 2021
- ↑ The Star-Telegram, "Challengers lining up for 2016 Texas primaries," June 20, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2010 General Election," November 2, 2010
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ NBC DFW, "Texas Supreme Court Justice Tests Positive for COVID-19," May 21, 2020
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ While no justice older than 74 may run for office, sitting justices who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.
- ↑ 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
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