George Barnstone

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George Barnstone

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Prior offices
Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

Education

Graduate

University of Texas, 1993

Law

University of Texas, 1989

Contact

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.

[1]

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

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
Image of Clyde Leuchtag
Clyde Leuchtag (R) Candidate Connection
 
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
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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
Image of Clyde Leuchtag
Clyde Leuchtag Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
110,090

Total votes: 110,090
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Texas local trial court judicial 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.[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
Green check mark transparent.png 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 Green check mark transparent.png 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

External links

Footnotes