Fred Shuchart

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Fred Shuchart

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Duke University, 1982

Law

Washington University School of Law, 1985

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis, Mo.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Fred Shuchart (Republican Party) ran for election for judge of the Texas 190th District Court. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Shuchart was a 2016 candidate for the Texas 215th District Court in Texas. Shuchart lost in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Biography

Fred Shuchart was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1982 and a J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 1985.

Elections

2022

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

General election

General election for Texas 190th District Court

Incumbent Beau Miller defeated Fred Shuchart in the general election for Texas 190th District Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beau Miller (D)	51.7	549,595
		Fred Shuchart (R)	48.3	513,816

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,063,411
= 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 190th District Court

Incumbent Beau Miller advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 190th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beau Miller	100.0	139,551

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 139,551
= 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 190th District Court

Fred Shuchart advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 190th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Shuchart	100.0	140,044

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 140,044
= 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.

2020

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

General election

General election for Texas 215th District Court

Incumbent Elaine H. Palmer defeated Fred Shuchart in the general election for Texas 215th District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elaine H. Palmer (D)	54.3	838,627
		Fred Shuchart (R)	45.7	705,624

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,544,251
= 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 215th District Court

Incumbent Elaine H. Palmer advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 215th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elaine H. Palmer	100.0	230,685

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 230,685
= 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 215th District Court

Fred Shuchart advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 215th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Shuchart	100.0	154,011

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 154,011
= 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.

2018

General election

General election for Texas 295th District Court

Donna Roth defeated Michelle Fraga in the general election for Texas 295th District Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Donna Roth (D)	56.3	665,587
	Submit photo	Michelle Fraga (R)	43.7	516,981

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,182,568
= 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 runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas 295th District Court

Michelle Fraga defeated Richard Risinger in the Republican primary runoff for Texas 295th District Court on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michelle Fraga	50.1	23,768
		Richard Risinger	49.9	23,679

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 47,447
= 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 295th District Court

Donna Roth advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 295th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Donna Roth	100.0	132,436

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 132,436
= 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 295th District Court

Richard Risinger and Michelle Fraga advanced to a runoff. They defeated Fred Shuchart in the Republican primary for Texas 295th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Risinger	38.3	48,993
✔	Submit photo	Michelle Fraga	35.4	45,245
		Fred Shuchart	26.3	33,605

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 127,843
= 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.

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.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Fred Shuchart did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Fred Shuchart completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shuchart'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 have been practicing law for 35 years and am licensed to practice law in Texas, Missouri and Illinois along with all federal courts in Texas. I am currently a shareholder with the law firm of Cooper & Scully, P.C. I have tried cases in front of both juries and the bench throughout the state of Texas. I have successfully handled more than 20 appeals. I have been named "Super Lawyer in Insurance Coverage" from 2007 to the present and named as a top lawyer in Insurance Law by American Lawyer Media and Martindale Hubbell in 2013 and 2014. I am an adjunct professor at South Texas Collage of Law-Houston where I teache Insurance Law and an Insurance Law seminar. I have been married to Lee Shuchart, an attorney, for 30 years and have 2 children. Emily, an A&M graduate, is currently teaching science in the Spring Branch Independent School District after having spent a year teaching English in Israel. Stephen, a former student representative on the Texas A&M system's Board of Regents, is currently in his third year of law school at Duke University.

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?

• I am the most qualified for the position
• I have the variety of experience to handle the diverse case load
• I beleive in the "rule of law."

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Anything related to the law.

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

The most important character traits for an elected official are honesty, integrity, the able to listen to others and consider another's perspective.

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

I was three years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. I clearly remember watching the funeral including little John's salute as the casket went by.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

The fundamental premise of the United States is that we are a country of laws. A reverence for that principle is why I decided to run for judge. As an active judge rather than an activist judge, I would seek to apply the law as written instead of rewriting it from the bench. Impartiality relies on basing all judgment on the text of the law. Finally, our public servants who enforce the law all must recognize that we have a duty to the public to avoid both the appearance of impropriety as much as impropriety itself.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Robert Jackson. He was the Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremburg Trials while on the Supreme Court. He is the only person who has held the position of United States Solicitor General, Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice. Although appointed by Roosevelt, he was known for being a supporter of equal protection to prevent the overreaching of governmental agencies.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

The most pressing issue is the lack of respect for the jurors and parties' time. As Judge, I will ensure that jurors do not have to sit around waiting for the Court or attorneys to proceed. I will have smaller but more frequent dockets so that clients and attorneys do not have to sit around for hours waiting to have a 5 minute hearing. I will attempt to hold regular status conferences with the attorneys to ensure that the case is proceeding in a timely fashion. Cases will be set for trial within the guidelines provided by the Texas Supreme Court and continuances will be granted only on an as needed basis.

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.

2016

Shuchart's campaign website listed the following themes:

“	Follow the law; not make law from the bench Apply my multi-faceted 30-year legal experience to ensure that all parties are treated evenly, fairly and justly Always be prepared to ensure orderly and unbiased administration of justice Efficiently operate the Court to ensure that the time commitments of the jurors, parties and counsel are respected Rule promptly and decisively based upon established legal principles and in keeping with the concept of separation of powers Serve Harris County with integrity and respect for the people and the Law	”
—Fred Shuchart (2016)

Endorsements

2016

Shuchart's campaign endorsements included the following organizations:

• Houston Chronicle
• Houston Realty Business Coalition
• Association of Women Attorneys
• C Club
• Houston Police Retired Officers Association

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Texas 190th District Court

Website

Twitter

Personal

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Footnotes

Texas courts

---

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