Fredericka Phillips - Ballotpedia

Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

From Ballotpedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Texas 61st District Court

Report an officeholder change

Fredericka Phillips (Democratic Party) was a judge of the Texas 61st District Court. She left office on December 31, 2024.

Phillips (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 61st District Court. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Phillips completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Fredericka Phillips was born in Texas. She earned her B.S. in criminal justice from Lamar University in 1996 and her J.D. from the South Texas College of Law in 2000.^[1] Her career experience includes working as a judge and lawyer.^[2]

Phillips began practicing as an attorney in 2000.^[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2024)

General election

General election for Texas 61st District Court

Lee Shuchart defeated incumbent Fredericka Phillips in the general election for Texas 61st District Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Shuchart (R)	50.5	740,386
		Fredericka Phillips (D)	49.5	724,465

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,464,851
= 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 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fredericka Phillips	100.0	139,249

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 139,249
= 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 61st District Court

Lee Shuchart advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 61st District Court on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Shuchart	100.0	143,171

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 143,171
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Phillips in this election.

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

	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

	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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

	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

Fredericka Phillips defeated incumbent Erin Lunceford in the Texas 61st District Court general election.

Texas 61st District Court, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Fredericka Phillips	51.21%	651,115
	Republican	Erin Lunceford Incumbent	48.79%	620,415
Total Votes				1,271,530
Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 2016

Fredericka Phillips defeated Julie Countiss in the Texas 61st District Court Democratic primary runoff.

Texas 61st District Court, Democratic Primary Runoff, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Fredericka Phillips	50.39%	13,708
Julie Countiss	49.61%	13,498
Total Votes		27,206
Source: Harris County Clerk. "Election Night Results," accessed May 24, 2016

Texas 61st District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Fredericka Phillips	38.16%	60,953
Julie Countiss	35.98%	57,463
Dion Ramos	25.86%	41,297
Total Votes		159,713
Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 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.^[4]

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."^[5]

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;*^[6]
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.^[4]

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.^[4]

Endorsements

Phillips received the following endorsements in 2016:^[7]

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Fredericka Phillips completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Phillips' 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 the current judge of the 61st District Court and have served in this role for almost 8 years. Prior to being elected judge, I was a civil litigation attorney for 17 years. I practiced in state and federal courts across the nation. As judge, I’ve run my court in a fair and impartial manner, while also running one of the most efficient courts as far as docket management goes. I’m seeking re-election to continue doing so. I believe in justice and fairness for all.

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?

Parties appearing before my court are and will continue to be treated fairly and impartially in accordance with the law.
Cases will be moved along in an efficient and fair manner.
Parties appearing before my court are treated with dignity and respect regardless of whether you are represented by an attorney or not.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Fairness in the judicial system.

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

Thurgood Marshall is someone I’ve looked up to most of my life. From his work as a lawyer and forward as a judge, he showed how important and impactful the judicial system is. He also demonstrated the importance of diverse representation in our legal system. Justice Marshall once said “mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assume a proper functioning of the adversary process”. As such there must continue to be a diverse judiciary that can and will apply the law fairly to all that come before the courts.

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

As a judge, it is my duty to apply the law fairly and impartially to all coming before the court. Justice is served when everyone is given a fair chance. The American judicial system is one of the most unique in the world where we allow a jury of our peers to evaluate a dispute and reach a verdict. My role as judge is to ensure the process is fair. One of the highlights of my job is when. I receive letters from jurors saying how much they enjoyed being a part of the process and how they understand after serving how important jury service is.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Mexican America Bar Association of Houston

Houston Lawyers Association
Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation
Houston LGBTQ+ Caucus

More pending. An up to date list can be found on my website

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.

2020

Fredericka Phillips did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016 Democratic National Convention

Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)

See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016

Phillips was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Texas.^[8] Phillips was one of 29 superdelegates from Texas. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Ballotpedia was not able to identify whether Phillips supported Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic nomination.^[9]

What is a superdelegate?

See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.^[10]

Texas primary results

See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2016

Hillary Clinton won the Texas Democratic primary election. Polls from late February 2016 showed her with a thirty point lead over her opponent Bernie Sanders. Exit poll data compiled by CNN shows that Clinton outperformed Sanders with both men and women in Texas, winning 56 percent and 65 percent respectively. Clinton also won over non-white voters. Latino voters, who made up 28 percent of the Democratic electorate, supported Clinton by 67 percent. She won 80 percent of black voters.^[11]

Texas Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Hillary Clinton	65.2%	936,004	147
Bernie Sanders	33.2%	476,547	75
Roque De La Fuente	0.6%	8,429	0
Calvin Hawes	0.1%	2,017	0
Keith Judd	0.2%	2,569	0
Star Locke	0.1%	1,711	0
Martin O'Malley	0.4%	5,364	0
Willie Wilson	0.2%	3,254	0
Totals		1,435,895	222
Source: Texas Secretary of State and CNN

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Texas had 251 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 222 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.^[12]^[13]

Twenty-nine party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.^[12]^[14]

See also

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Texas 61st District Court

Personal

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Fredericka Phillips for 61st District Court Judge, "About Fredericka," accessed February 15, 2016
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 3, 2024
↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 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
↑ Fredericka Phillips for 61st District Court Judge, "Endorsements," accessed February 15, 2016
↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
↑ CNN, "Texas Exit Polls," March 1, 2016
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016

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

	v • e State of Texas Austin (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? \| Elections in 2025 \| How to vote \| How to run for office \| Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? \| U.S. President \| U.S. Congress \| Federal courts \| State executives \| State legislature \| State and local courts \| Counties \| Cities \| School districts \| Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fredericka_Phillips&oldid=10218866"