Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
George Arnold
George Arnold (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Texas 281st District Court. Arnold lost in the Democratic primary on March 6, 2018.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Texas 281st District Court
Christine Weems defeated incumbent Sylvia A. Matthews in the general election for Texas 281st District Court on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Christine Weems (D) | 54.8 | 648,305 |
| Sylvia A. Matthews (R) | 45.2 | 533,928 | ||
| Total votes: 1,182,233 | |||
 = 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 281st District Court
Christine Weems defeated George Arnold in the Democratic primary for Texas 281st District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christine Weems | 62.3 | 87,361 |
| George Arnold | 37.7 | 52,775 | ||
| Total votes: 140,136 | |||
| = 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 281st District Court
Incumbent Sylvia A. Matthews advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 281st District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sylvia A. Matthews | 100.0 | 114,359 | |
| Total votes: 114,359 | |||
| = 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.[1]
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."[2]
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;*[3]
- 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.[1]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[1]
See also
- Courts in Texas
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2018)
External links
Footnotes
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
