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JP Election Brief: Results from North Carolina and West Virginia (and more!)

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Judicial elections


May 10, 2012

by: the State Court Staff


Every Thursday, Judgepedia's State Court Staff examines events in the world of judicial elections across the nation. Make sure to use Judgepedia's Election Central the rest of the week as a hub for all your judicial election needs.
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Important dates

Primary elections

  • May 15: Primary election in Idaho
  • May 15: Primary election in Oregon

Filing deadlines




Texas Supreme Court race - Place 2

Highlightarace.jpg

Texas Supreme Court places 2, 4, and 6 are up for election this year. Perhaps the most exciting race to watch is for place 2 between current justice Don Willett and former Supreme Court justice, and current District Court judge, Steve Smith.[1] Willett and Smith previously faced off in the 2006 elections, so there is a good amount of history between the two; just as in 2006 they will face each other in the Republican primary, this year to be held on May 29, 2012. The 2006 race was very close, with Willett garnering 50.5% of the vote, and Smith garnering 49.5%.[2]

Both Willett and Smith have received endorsements, yet both "also carr[y] baggage" according to the Star-Telegram, which ends their assessment of the race with an endorsement for Willett.[1] Willett is running with much more financial support than is Smith, as evidenced by the televised ads he is running and his highly polished website, but both are putting out equally forceful campaign statements. Two of Willett's campaign ads can be found here and here.[3][4]

Both Willett and Smith are striving to portray themselves as the most conservative and best qualified candidate. While Willett has been more nuanced in his criticisms of Smith, Smith's campaign website lashes out directly at Willett: "When initially appointed, Willett was criticized for having no judicial experience, having never argued an appeal, and having never tried a case. Since joining the Court, he has been criticized for substituting his own policy preferences for those of the Texas Legislature."[5]

The intensity of the rhetoric will likely increase in the two and a half week lead-up to the primary. The winner of the primary will go on to compete against Libertarian candidate Robert Stuart Koelsch in the general election on November 6, 2012. Information from the candidates' campaigns can be found at DonWillett.com and at SmithforSupremeCourt.com.[4][5]


In the News

North Carolina primary eliminates judicial candidates

North Carolina

Candidates will advance in pairs to the North Carolina general election, as the primary on May 8th eliminated all but two candidates in each judicial race.

The following candidates for Superior Court judgeships were ousted from the races after receiving low vote totals:

5th Division of the Superior Court (Race for Superior Court Judge of District 18E):
6th Division of the Superior Court (Race for Superior Court Judge of District 22A):
8th Division of the Superior Court (Race for Superior Court Judge of District 29A):

The following candidates for District Court judgeships were also defeated:

District 3A (Pitt County): Lisa Overton, Warner Wells
District 3B (Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico Counties): Bernard Bush
District 8 (Lenoir and Greene Counties): Annette W. Turik
District 10 (Wake County): James Ansley, Daniel T. Barker, Steve Mansbery, Damion McCullers
District 12 (Cumberland County): Rita Cox, Brian Harris
District 13 (Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus Counties): Sheila K. McLamb, Catherine Howlett Radford
District 18th (Guilford County): Donald R. Buie
District 21st (Forsyth County): Robert W. Ewing, Jerry D. Jordan, Richard D. Ramsey
District 26th (Mecklenburg County): Totten seat: Ben S. Thalheimer, Judge John W. Totten, III. Moore seat: T.C. Romain, Cam Scott, Rod Wright[6]
For lists of all the candidates running in the November 6, 2012 general election, see: North Carolina judicial elections, 2012

West Virginia Supreme Court primary results

West Virginia

On Tuesday, six Democratic candidates competed to be the nominees for two positions on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia; Robin Jean Davis, James J. Rowe, H. John Rogers, Louis Palmer, Letitia Chafin and J.D. Beane.

Chief Justice Robin Jean Davis won the most votes, with Letitia Chafin coming in second.[7][8]

Davis and Chafin will advance to the general elections, where they compete against Republicans Allen Loughry and John Yoder. Loughry has worked as a clerk for the high court since 2006 and was one of the first candidates to declare for the race, announcing in July 2011 that he intended to seek a position. Yoder is a judge on the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit and was narrowly defeated by Justice Thomas E. McHugh in the 2010 election.

Yuma County Superior Court race

Arizona

Recent events in Arizona have implications for two seats on the Yuma County Superior Court.

Judge David M. Haws, who was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer to the Division IV position on the Yuma County Superior Court in February, will be sworn in to his position on Friday, May 11, 2012.[9] To keep his recently attained place on the court, Judge Haws must run for election in the Arizona primary on August 28. Judge Haws has announced that he does intend to compete in the primary and will campaign to retain his current position.[10]

Judge Haws will face Yuma attorney Jim Clark in the primary election. Clark, who has practiced law in Yuma County for nearly his entire 38-year legal career, announced his candidacy for Division IV judge on the Yuma County Superior Court in March. During his career, Clark has worked as a Yuma County prosecutor and in private practice.[11]

In addition to the developments in the Division IV race, incumbent Judge Maria Elena Cruz has filed her candidacy for re-election to her position as Division VI judge on the Yuma County Superior Court.[12]

Next up, Idaho and Oregon!

Both Idaho and Oregon have primary elections on Tuesday, May 15. To read more about those elections, check out:

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Star-Telegram, "Texas Supreme Court incumbents have edge in GOP primary," April 27, 2012 (dead link)
  2. ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "2006 Republican Primary Election"
  3. ↑ The Washington Post, "Campaign Ad 2012: Sponsored By Willett, Don," May 9, 2012
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Don Willett campaign website, accessed May 9, 2012
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Smith for Supreme Court, "Homepage," accessed May 9, 2012
  6. ↑ North Carolina Board of Elections, "Unofficial Primary Election Results, May 8, 2012"
  7. ↑ MetroNews, "Democrat Supreme Court Candidates Nominated," May 8, 2012
  8. ↑ 'Herald Dispatch, "Davis, Chafin win Dem WV Supreme Court primaries," May 8, 2012
  9. ↑ Yuma County Arizona, "Haws to be sworn in during investiture," April 30, 2012
  10. ↑ Judge David Haws campaign website, News and events, April 1, 2012
  11. ↑ Yuma Sun, Attorney Jim Clark announces for judge," March 25, 2012
  12. ↑ Yuma County Nomination Paper, May 2, 2012
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