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George Barnstone
George Barnstone (Democratic Party) was a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 in Texas. He assumed office in 2016. He left office on July 19, 2021.
Barnstone (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 in Texas. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Education
Barnstone received an MBA in finance and law from the University of Texas in 1989. He went on to earn his J.D. from the same school in 1993.[2]
Career
- 2010-Present: Attorney, Law Offices of George Barnstone
- 2016-2021: Judge, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1
- 1992-2010: President, Barnstone Properties[2]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1
Incumbent George Barnstone defeated Clyde Leuchtag in the general election for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | George Barnstone (D) | 55.2 | 651,016 | |
 | Clyde Leuchtag (R)  | 44.8 | 528,843 | |
| Total votes: 1,179,859 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1
Incumbent George Barnstone advanced from the Democratic primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | George Barnstone | 100.0 | 127,728 | |
| Total votes: 127,728 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1
Clyde Leuchtag advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Clyde Leuchtag | 100.0 | 110,090 |
| Total votes: 110,090 | |||
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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.[3] George Barnstone defeated Richard Leach in the Harris County Civil Court at Law Democratic primary for Number 1.[4]
| Harris County Civil Court at Law (Number 1), Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 George Barnstone |
62.10% | 88,696 |
| Richard Leach | 37.90% | 54,126 |
| Total Votes | 142,822 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
George Barnstone defeated incumbent Clyde Leuchtag in the Harris County Civil Court at Law general election for Seat 1.
| Harris County Civil Court at Law (Number 1), General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | George Barnstone |
51.94% | 657,626 | |
| Republican | Clyde Leuchtag Incumbent | 48.06% | 608,470 | |
| Total Votes | 1,266,096 | |||
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 2016 | ||||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the county courts are elected in partisan elections by the county they serve and serve four-year terms, with vacancies filled by a vote of the county commissioners.[5]
Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[5]
- be at least 25 years old;
- be a resident of his or her respective county for at least two years; and
- have practiced law or served as a judge for at least four years preceding the election.
2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Barnstone ran for election to the Harris County Criminal Court at Law.
Primary: He was successful in the Democratic primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 53.2 percent of the vote. He competed against John Connolly.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 44.2 percent of the vote. He competed against Dan Jeffrey Spjut and Brad Walters.[6][7][8]
Campaign themes
2016
Barnstone answered the following questions from the Houston Chronicle in February 2016:
| “ |
Why are you running for this particular bench? I am running for Harris County Civil Court at Law # 1 to bring fairness and efficiency to the court. What are your qualifications for this job? I have been a lawyer for more than 20 years, and I have practiced in the county civil courts. Why is this race important? This race is important because this court affects consumers’ lives, and the judge needs to have an understanding and compassion for the debtors who appear in this court. Why should people vote for you in the primary? People should vote for me because I will bring a balanced approach to the bench and I have integrity. My Democratic primary opponent has voted in 2 of the last 3 REPUBLICAN primaries. His wife and law partner is running in the Republican Primary FOR THE SAME BENCH. They have admitted to the Houston Press that they planned this so that someone in the family wins the bench, and they don’t care how it happens. The people of Harris County deserve better than this. [9] |
” |
| —George Barnstone (2016), [10] | ||
See also
- Texas judicial elections, 2014
- Texas judicial elections
- Harris County Criminal Court at Law
- Courts in Texas
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2016
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ "Houston Chronicle", "Harris County Civil Court Judge Resigns following 6 complaints," accessed July 5, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LinkedIn, "George Barnstone Profile," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 14, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)"
- ↑ Harris County Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report - March 4, 2014 Primary Election," March 5, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Judicial Q&A: George Barnstone," accessed February 26, 2016
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
