Erin Lunceford

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Erin Lunceford

Republican Party

Prior offices:

Texas 61st District Court

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Colorado, Boulder, 1983

Law

University of Houston, 1988

Personal

Birthplace

Normal, IL

Religion

Episcopalian

Profession

Lawyer

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Erin Lunceford (Republican Party) was a judge of the Texas 61st District Court.

Lunceford (Republican Party) ran for election for judge of the Texas 189th District Court. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

She was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott on July 8, 2015, for a term that expired in 2016.

Lunceford lost her re-election bid in 2016. The general election took place on November 8, 2016.

Biography

Erin Lunceford was born in Normal, Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1983 and a J.D. from the University of Houston in 1988. Lunceford’s career experience includes working as a lawyer, mediator, and arbitrator at Norton Rose Fulbright, LLP. She has also worked in the medical supply and pharmaceutical sales business.

Lunceford has served as a board member of the Houston Bar Association and the HBA Dispute Resolution Center. She has also served as President of the Houston Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2022)

General election

General election for Texas 189th District Court

Tamika Craft defeated Erin Lunceford in the general election for Texas 189th District Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tamika Craft (D)	50.1	533,710
		Erin Lunceford (R)	49.9	530,967

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,064,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas 189th District Court

Tamika Craft defeated Lema Mousilli and incumbent Scot Dollinger in the Democratic primary for Texas 189th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tamika Craft	54.5	78,563
		Lema Mousilli	26.3	37,876
		Scot Dollinger	19.2	27,716

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 144,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas 189th District Court

Erin Lunceford advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 189th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erin Lunceford	100.0	140,719

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 140,719
= 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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2020

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Texas 61st District Court

Incumbent Fredericka Phillips defeated Erin Lunceford in the general election for Texas 61st District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fredericka Phillips (D)	53.0	831,316
		Erin Lunceford (R)	47.0	737,544

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,568,860
= 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 61st District Court

Incumbent Fredericka Phillips advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 61st District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fredericka Phillips	100.0	234,957

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 234,957
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas 61st District Court

Erin Lunceford advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 61st District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erin Lunceford	100.0	155,037

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 155,037
= 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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Endorsements

To view Lunceford's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2018

General election

General election for Texas 189th District Court

Scot Dollinger defeated Sharon Hemphill in the general election for Texas 189th District Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scot Dollinger (D)	55.4	655,707
		Sharon Hemphill (R)	44.6	526,976

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,182,683
= 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 189th District Court

Scot Dollinger defeated Fred Cook in the Democratic primary for Texas 189th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scot Dollinger	50.8	70,799
	Submit photo	Fred Cook	49.2	68,632

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 139,431
= 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 189th District Court

Sharon Hemphill defeated Erin Lunceford in the Republican primary for Texas 189th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon Hemphill	55.9	71,891
		Erin Lunceford	44.1	56,636

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 128,527
= 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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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.

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."

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;*
• 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.

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.

Endorsements

2016

Lunceford received the following endorsements:

• The Houston Chronicle
• Katy Christian Magazine
• C Club
• Houston Realty Business Coalition
• Houston Lawyers Association
• Mexican American Bar Association

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Erin Lunceford did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 28, 2020

Erin Lunceford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lunceford's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 32-year board certified trial lawyer who has tried over 38 jury trials to verdict and handled over 40 appeals. I am the past president of the Houston Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). I served as Judge of this Court from 2015-2017 and during that time I presided over 30 jury trials and multiple bench trials. I have been married for 36 years and have 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• It is important to elect Experienced Judges who have been experienced, active trial lawyers.
• A judge's job is to mover her docket and the only way you can do this is to show up for work and try cases, something the current judge does not do.
• Judges work for the people, so anyone who wants to have a hearing should be able to have a timely hearing.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Judges should follow the law as written and not bend or try to change the law. Judges should fairly listen to the parties and avoid all appearances of impropriety.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The position of a trial judge in Texas is very important, because it is the first place where citizens in the state get to see justice work, either by serving as a juror, witness or party. It is very important that citizens get to see an effective and competent judge run her courtroom with efficiency, decorum, and by following the law.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I really look up to former judge and appellate justice Alice Oliver Parrett because she has been such a mentor to me as a lawyer, judge and mediator. While Alice and I are in different political parties, she has always been so supportive to me and helpful when I had questions about being a judge. She has also been able to balance her legal career with raising a family and enjoying her grandchildren, something that I hope to be able to continue to do.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I believe in the following well-known quote from Antonin Scalia:

"If you're going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you're not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, you're probably doing something wrong."

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Integrity, Experience, Compassion

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It is a trial judge's primary responsibility to apply the law as written and not let their own personal feelings about the law intervene in their decisions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to continue leaving the same legacy I think I left after my first 17 months as judge of this court. I would like to be remembered as the first female judge of the 61st who ran an organized courtroom where people of all backgrounds and experiences could find justice. I would like to be remembered for being fair but firm, with compassion. I would like to be remembered for being a compassionate judge who followed the law without regard to who was arguing in front of her. Finally, I would like to be remembered as a judge who lawyers respected and who they were excited to appear in front of and a judge who juries loved and learned from.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I can specifically remember the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics, mostly because we had lived in Salzburg Austria in 1971. I was just 11 years old and I remember being so shocked because these were just Olympic Athletes who wanted to compete.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was in high school working at a So Fro Fabrics Store. I worked there from age 16 until I graduated from High School at 18 and went to college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird.

I think this is my favorite because it is a the quintessential book about a trial lawyer who tries a case against all odds. It has such an important message about treating all people with respect and dignity, which does not always happen in a courtroom.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Harry Potter

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

6 feet apart...because that is what our lives have been these days

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Having trial experience so that you understand when you can push parties to trial and help them work to conclude their cases and move your docket. There is a never-ending stream of new lawsuits filed and assigned to each court, so it is the judge's responsibility to move her docket by trying cases and forcing the lawyers to move their cases toward conclusion.

I also think that Judges have a responsibility to show that they are fair and impartial to all parties, even those who are not represented by counsel. That is particularly difficult when a pro se party does not understand the law, so sometimes the Judge has to be very careful in dealing with those litigants.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A trial judge should very much be in control of her courtroom, and that has the greatest effect on jurors or prospective jurors. A judge must be on time for court and enforce limits on breaks and recess for the day so as not to keep the jurors down at the Courthouse for excess time. This is where experience comes in. If I am the judge in a particular case, a trial might only last 2 days because I arrive at work on time, make the lawyers arrive on time and only take the 10-15 minute breaks, and make all the parties work hard to conclude the case within a reasonable time. For example, I usually would recess the jury for the day, but stay late with the lawyers to address the jury charge or other legal issues. If these things are not done, then a 2 day trial can easily become a 4 day trial and those jurors loose 2 extra days of work. That is unacceptable.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, but a trial judge MUST have prior experience as a trial lawyer, trying cases to jurors.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

1. Previous experience as a trial judge (I served as Judge of this court in 2015-2016;

2. Prior first chair jury trial experience as a lawyer (I have tried over 38 cases to jury verdict);
3. Prior mediation/arbitration experience (I have mediated/arbitrated 100 cases since I left the bench;
4. Compassion and judicial temperment, something that I was known for on the bench;

5. Work Ethic, as being a good judge requires you to work hard to move your docket.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Awards and associations

• 2008-2014: Texas Super Lawyer
• 2011: 20 Winning Women Trial/Appellate Lawyers in Texas
• Board member and committee chair, Houston Bar Association
• Associate member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Certified medical malpractice specialist, American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys

See also

2022 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Texas 189th District Court

Website

Personal

Website

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Footnotes

Texas courts

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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