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George Gallagher (Texas)
George Gallagher (Republican Party) was a judge of the Texas 396th District Court. He left office on December 31, 2024.
Gallagher (Republican Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 396th District Court. He lost in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024.
Biography
George Gallagher received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law. Gallagher worked in private practice at the firm Zachry, Hill, Beatty, Butcher & Gallagher and a Tarrant County District Attorney.[1]
Associations
- State Bar of Texas
- Tarrant County Bar Association
- Master of the Eldon B. Mahon Inns of Court
- Former President of the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Former Presiding Judge of the Criminal District Courts[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Tarrant County, Texas (2024)
General election
General election for Texas 396th District Court
Vincent Giardino won election in the general election for Texas 396th District Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Vincent Giardino (R) | 100.0 | 518,782 | |
| Total votes: 518,782 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas 396th District Court
Vincent Giardino defeated incumbent George Gallagher in the Republican primary for Texas 396th District Court on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Vincent Giardino | 52.3 | 63,915 | |
| George Gallagher | 47.7 | 58,290 | ||
| Total votes: 122,205 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gallagher in this election.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Tarrant County, Texas (2020)
General election
General election for Texas 396th District Court
Incumbent George Gallagher won election in the general election for Texas 396th District Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | George Gallagher (R) | 100.0 | 532,796 | |
| Total votes: 532,796 | |||
| = 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 396th District Court
Incumbent George Gallagher advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 396th District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | George Gallagher | 100.0 | 100,600 | |
| Total votes: 100,600 | |||
| = 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
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.[2] Incumbent George Gallagher ran unopposed in the Texas 396th District Court Republican primary.[3]
| Texas 396th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 George Gallagher Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 132,384 |
| Total Votes | 132,384 | |
| Source: Tarrant County, Texas, "Unofficial Results," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
George Gallagher (Texas) won without opposition in the general election.
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]
2012
Gallagher was re-elected without opposition to the 396th District Court.[7]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
George Gallagher did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
George Gallagher did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Defendant receives new trial after Gallagher orders electric shocks
In 2018, Gallagher drew media attention after a defendant alleged that Gallagher had ordered the court bailiff to use electric shocks on the defendant during a court proceeding. Electric stun belts are used in some courts as a security measure, allowing court officers to stun defendants who become violent or dangerous. The defendant in this case challenged his conviction on appeal, arguing that Gallagher had violated his constitutional rights by using the shocks as punishment for the defendant's failure to answer questions rather than because the defendant was dangerous. Gallagher stated that he had ordered the electric shocks to preserve the safety of people in the courtoom. The Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals ruled that Gallagher had used the shocks as punishment rather than as a security measure. The court of appeals overturned the defendant's conviction and ordered a new trial. The court wrote, "A stun belt is a device meant to ensure physical safety; it is not an operant conditioning collar meant to punish a defendant until he obeys a judge’s whim. This Court cannot sit idly by and say nothing when a judge turns a court of law into a Skinner Box, electrocuting a defendant until he provides the judge with behavior he likes."[8]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Publisher Bio Information
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ Star-Telegram, "Tarrant County judge used electric shocks to punish sex offender, who is getting a new trial," March 7, 2018
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
