Robert Schaffer
Robert Schaffer was a judge of the Texas 152nd District Court. He left office on December 31, 2024.
Schaffer (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 152nd District Court. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.
Biography
Schaffer received his undergraduate degree from University of Arizona and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law.[1] Prior to his election, he was in private practice at his own firm.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2024)
General election
General election for Texas 152nd District Court
Takasha Francis won election in the general election for Texas 152nd District Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Takasha Francis (D)  | 100.0 | 904,396 |
| Total votes: 904,396 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 152nd District Court
Takasha Francis defeated incumbent Robert Schaffer in the Democratic primary for Texas 152nd District Court on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Takasha Francis | 55.5 | 84,080 |
 | Robert Schaffer | 44.5 | 67,552 | |
| Total votes: 151,632 | |||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Schaffer in this election.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)
General election
General election for Texas 152nd District Court
Incumbent Robert Schaffer won election in the general election for Texas 152nd District Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Schaffer (D) | 100.0 | 1,036,568 |
| Total votes: 1,036,568 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 152nd District Court
Incumbent Robert Schaffer advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 152nd District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Schaffer | 100.0 | 228,502 |
| Total votes: 228,502 | |||
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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.[2] Incumbent Robert Schaffer ran unopposed in the Texas 152nd District Court Democratic primary.[3]
| Texas 152nd District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Robert Schaffer Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 145,618 |
| Total Votes | 145,618 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Incumbent Robert Schaffer defeated Don Self in the Texas 152nd District Court general election.
| Texas 152nd District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Robert Schaffer Incumbent |
53.73% | 681,410 | |
| Republican | Don Self | 46.27% | 586,756 | |
| Total Votes | 1,268,166 | |||
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 2016 | ||||
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]
Endorsements
Schaffer's campaign endorsements included the following organizations:[7]
- Mexican American Bar Association Houston
- Houston Association of Women Attorneys
- Houston GLBT Political Caucus
2012
Schaffer ran for re-election to the 152nd District Court against Don Self, who defeated Janet Townsley in the July 31, 2012, primary runoff.[8] Schaffer defeated Don Self in the general election with 51.1 percent of the vote.[9][10]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Robert Schaffer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Robert Schaffer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Awards and associations
Associations
- State Bar of Texas
- Houston Bar Association
- President of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association
- Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation
- South Texas College of Law Alumni Association
- Southwest Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League[11]
Notable cases
Houston HERO trial (2015)
Judge Robert Schaffer presided in the trial over the legitimacy of a petition that sought to overturn the controversial Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, which banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender "in city employment, city services, city contracting practices, housing, public accommodations, and private employment."[12] The ordinance was passed in May 2014 and exempted religious institutions and organizations from compliance. Violators could face a maximum fine of up to $5000.00.[13]
Opponents of HERO began a petition to get a ballot measure on the November 20124 ballot to repeal the ordinance. City law requires 17,296 signatures from registered Houston voters for a measure to make it onto the ballot. The petitioners gathered around 50,000 signatures. When the City Attorney’s Office ruled that many of the signatures were invalid, and dismissed the petition, proponents of the repealing HERO filed suit against the city, went to trial on January 19, 2015.[14]
On February 13, 2015, a jury issued a verdict saying that while the petitions did not contain instances of fraud, they did contain forgeries and instances of failure to follow proper procedure. Judge Schaffer then initiated a recounting process to determine whether or not opponents of HERO had gathered enough valid signatures to satisfy the 17,296 threshold. Following the verdict in February, both sides claimed victory. A definitive answer, however, did not emerge until Judge Schaffer's ruling on April 17, 2015, when he determined that the opponents of the ordinance had not gathered enough valid signatures.[15][16]
- Read in depth about the ordinance and lawsuit here: Houston, Texas: HERO
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Houston Chronicle Candidate Profile, October 28, 2008
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Robert K. Schaffer for Judge, "Endorsements," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ KatyTimes.com, "Cruz, Sadler win in primary runoffs"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Summary" Select "2012 General Election"
- ↑ Harris County, Texas, "2012 General Elections Results"
- ↑ Judge Schaffer campaign website, "Biography"
- ↑ The Houston Chronicle, "Council passes equal right ordinance," May 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Houston, "Equal Rights Ordinance," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ Vox, "Houston Mayor scales back controversial subpoena of local pastors’ sermons," October 16, 2014
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "After mixed verdict, city confident judge in HERO suit will rule in its favor," February 13, 2015
- ↑ ABC13, "Judge Rules in Favor of City on Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance," April 17, 2015
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
