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Ryan Patrick
Ryan Patrick was a judge on the 177th District Court in Texas. He was appointed to this position on August 24, 2012, following the resignation of Judge Kevin Fine. He took the bench on September 10, 2012, and was re-elected on November 6, 2012.[1][2]
Patrick lost his re-election bid in 2016.[3] The general election took place on November 8, 2016.
On December 21, 2017, Patrick was confirmed as U.S. Attorney for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.[4]
Biography
Patrick received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in 2001. He earned his J.D. from the South Texas College of Law in 2006.[5] Patrick worked as an assistant district attorney from 2006 to 2008, when he was promoted to the Special Prosecutions Bureau. He was appointed to the bench in August 2012 and was sworn in on September 10, 2012.[5]
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.[6] Incumbent Ryan Patrick ran unopposed in the Texas 177th District Court Republican primary.[3]
| Texas 177th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ryan Patrick Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 203,243 |
| Total Votes | 203,243 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Republican Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Robert Johnson defeated incumbent Ryan Patrick in the Texas 177th District Court general election.
| Texas 177th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Robert Johnson |
51.40% | 651,563 | |
| Republican | Ryan Patrick Incumbent | 48.60% | 616,104 | |
| Total Votes | 1,267,667 | |||
| 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.[7]
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."[8]
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;*[9]
- 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.[7]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[7]
2012
Patrick ran for re-election to the 177th District Court and defeated challenger Vivian King with 50.4 percent of the vote. Patrick had defeated fellow Republican Antonio Benavides in the primary election.[10][2]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Endorsements
2016
Patrick's campaign endorsements included the following organizations:[11]
- Houston Chronicle
- Houston Association of Women Attorneys
- Houston Police Officers Union
- C Club
- Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ryan Patrick Republican for Judge campaign website
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harris County, Texas-2012 General Elections Results
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Former district judge Ryan Patrick confirmed as U.S. Attorney," December 21, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ryan Patrick Republican for Judge campaign website, About Ryan
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 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
- ↑ Ryan Patrick for Judge, "Endorsements," accessed October 13, 2016
