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Frances Dunham
Frances Dunham was a 2016 candidate for the Texas 438th District Court in Texas.[1] Dunham lost in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Campaign themes
2016
Dunham's campaign website included the following themes:
| “ |
There are an endless number of issues that our community deals with daily at the Bexar County Courthouse. How we decide to resolve them as a community is incredibly important. Removing politics from the courtroom, as well as delivering fair and experienced decisions are certainly at the top of the list. Attorney Frances Dunham plans to focus her efforts on bringing consistent, unbiased decisions to the 438th Judicial Court. Her plans include, educating the community in Civil and Family Law matters through her "Free Legal Workshops", as well as removing politics from the courtroom by rendering fair, party neutral, gender/orientation neutral decisions supported under the law of the State of Texas. Solutions don’t come easy. Frances Dunham knows what the characteristics of a good judge are because she has been in the courtroom for twenty years. She knows that if the parties present themselves in court, they need a judge who will listen to all of the evidence and render a fair decision. Great leadership will ensure the continued success of this great community.[2][3] |
” |
| —Frances Dunham (2016) | ||
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] Frances Dunham ran unopposed in the Texas 438th District Court Republican primary.[1]
| Texas 438th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Frances Dunham (unopposed) |
100.00% | 83,461 |
| Total Votes | 83,461 | |
| Source: Bexar County, Texas, "2016 Joint Primary Elections," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Rosie Alvarado defeated Frances Dunham in the Texas 438th District Court general election.
| Texas 438th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Rosie Alvarado |
56.16% | 318,114 | |
| Republican | Frances Dunham | 43.84% | 248,375 | |
| Total Votes | 566,489 | |||
| Source: Bexar County, Texas, "Official Results," November 16, 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.[5]
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."[6]
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;*[7]
- 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.[5]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Frances Dunham for 438th District, "Priorities," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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
