Penny Robe

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Penny Robe

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Lubbock Christian University, 1989

Law

Texas Tech University School of Law, 1992

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1995 - 2000

Contact

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Penny Robe (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Texas 380th District Court. Robe lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Robe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Penny Robe served in the United States Air Force from 1995 to 2000. She earned a bachelor's degree from Lubbock Christian University in 1989 and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1992.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Collin County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Texas 380th District Court

Incumbent Benjamin N. Smith defeated Penny Robe in the general election for Texas 380th District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Benjamin N. Smith (R)	56.5	258,945
		Penny Robe (D)	43.5	199,461

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 458,406
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas 380th District Court

Penny Robe advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 380th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Penny Robe	100.0	57,081

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 57,081
= 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 380th District Court

Incumbent Benjamin N. Smith defeated Melvin Thathiah in the Republican primary for Texas 380th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Benjamin N. Smith	82.5	48,213
		Melvin Thathiah	17.5	10,262

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 58,475
= 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.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Penny Robe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Robe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am committed to fairness and following the law. I will bring a balanced perspective to the bench, from having practiced over 25 years, and in every area of law that this court handles. For criminal cases, I have been both a criminal prosecutor, and a criminal defense attorney, which gives me the ability to be fair, and see that justice is served. Having served from both sides in criminal cases, I understand the bias created from only serving as a prosecutor, and I do not have that bias. My ability to be fair is further strengthened by the broad legal experience and wisdom gained by serving in different roles throughout my career, and having been in the trenches for all the different types of cases that come before this court. I was a JAG in the US Air Force. One of my assignment was as a criminal defense counsel for the Air Force Base where I was assigned. I learned that it is important to stand up for what is right, even when it goes against those in authority over you. Integrity First.Service before self. Excellence in all we do. These are the core values of the Air Force, and the guiding values I live every day.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fairness and balance are important. Every person coming to this court deserves to have their cases decided with those key traits - fairness and balance.
• Integrity first. Service before self. Excellence in all we do. I learned these core values in the US Air Force and would bring them with me as a Judge
• Life experience matters. The breadth of my experience and knowledge, and the wisdom earned through this experience, make me an ideal person for this position.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our system of government includes separation of powers, and an independent judiciary. Judges don't create the law. Judges interpret the law, balancing justice with mercy. As a judge, I would follow the law and apply it to the cases before me with fairness and balance. Access to justice for low-income people is an area I feel so passionate about that I currently serve on the Board of Directors for Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Inc. and I have been named pro bono attorney of the year for Collin County, Texas. I believe that in a fair legal system, justice is equally available to all parties.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was as a cashier at KMart. I kept that job throughout high school, and during breaks from college during my freshman year of college.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Empathy is a key quality for a judge. Good judicial temperament requires an awareness of the importance and impact of the cases on each participant in the proceedings before the court. Empathy gives judges patience and compassion, both of which are necessary for a good judge.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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