Sarah Beth Landau

Sarah Beth Landau (Democratic Party) (also known as Sorcha) was a judge for Place 6 of the Texas First District Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2019. She left office on December 31, 2024.

Landau (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Place 6 judge of the Texas First District Court of Appeals. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Landau completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sarah Beth Landau earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 1994. She earned a law degree from Columbia University in 1998. Her career experience includes working as a judge.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Andrew Johnson defeated incumbent Sarah Beth Landau in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Andrew Johnson (R)	52.8	1,182,592
	Sarah Beth Landau (D)	47.2	1,055,265

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,237,857
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Sarah Beth Landau advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Beth Landau	100.0	192,530

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,530
= 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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Andrew Johnson advanced from the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrew Johnson	100.0	270,360

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 270,360
= 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.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Landau in this election.

2018

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Sarah Beth Landau defeated incumbent Harvey Brown in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Sarah Beth Landau (D)	51.8	895,562
	Harvey Brown (R)	48.2	834,062

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,729,624
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Sarah Beth Landau advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Sarah Beth Landau

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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 First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Harvey Brown advanced from the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Harvey Brown

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Sarah Beth Landau completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Landau's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the first public defender elected to the court. I have civil, criminal, public, private, trial, appellate, state and federal experience. I've represented Fortune 500 corporations and people who did not have running water. I began my legal career in Texas clerking for a federal judge. On the bench, I have kept up with my case deadlines, written almost all of the en banc opinions, overhauled the law student intern program, opened the court to weddings, and been a frequent speaker on topics ranging from professionalism in the law to the Fourth Amendment to how civil judgments work. I have been honored to have trained civil and criminal trial judges at their continuing education courses. This job is not a job to me, it's a calling. I'm proud to serve my 10-county district every day and I would like the chance to keep doing it.

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?

Independence matters. I am the only judicial candidate not to accept special interest money. Like many voters, I am concerned with dark money in our elections and the effect it has on judicial independence. I do not want anyone in my court to think they will not be treated fairly because I am beholden to any other political branch or to any other actors outside the judiciary who influence my decisions with their outsized financial support.
Experience matters. I am the only judge with deep experience in civil AND criminal matters on my court, which handles both. (Our court does not set bail or sentence criminal defendants though.)
Public service matters. Although deciding cases correctly and timely is the most important part of our job, the court is part of the community and I have proven that I am dedicated to that aspect of the job too. Our intern program that I developed is the best court intern program imaginable and helps first-generation law students excel in practice. I opened the court to public weddings for all and we have more demand than we can accommodate! I am also active on social media, including TikTok, to reach younger members of our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Access to the courts. We have so many people who cannot afford lawyers who are forced to represent themselves in cases that affect their lives.

Informed voters. It is hard to find information about judicial races, even as an educated voter. I would like to have a centralized evaluation system where voters can find out if the candidate is qualified, highly qualified, or unqualified. The judicial polls exclude many areas of practicing lawyers and are basically popularity contests.

The next generation. I believe we have a responsibility to law students and young lawyers to mentor and to help shape the practice of law.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am moved by my son. He approaches every day with joy and tackles everything with enthusiasm. I would like to be more like him.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The New Jim Crow is one I recommend to my interns. There is so much inherent unfairness baked into the system it helps to understand the origins of it and to fight against it so we do not perpetuate unfairness and everyone has their day in court and to minimize the extent to which the courts are another instrumentality of unfairness to those without resources.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

For the judiciary: intelligence, collegiality (we work in teams), and hard work.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am very calm and rational. Getting hollered at by judges as a public defender for 12 years will do that to you. It gives you perspective and makes you hard to rile.

I'm a solid writer and editor. I've handled over 400 appeals and dozens of oral arguments in federal court. I have not seen it all but I've seen a lot in my 20+ years of experience.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To decide cases in a way that is transparent and correct in a reasonable time.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of approachability and curiosity. I want students to see me and think that the judiciary could be a career for them. And, if they do take the bench, that they give back because they remember that that's what judges are supposed to do.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was in early elementary school when President Reagan was shot. I remember being confused about what Jodie Foster had to do with it.

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

I was a cashier at Frank's Nursery and Crafts when I was in high school. I was probably there for about 6 months. I learned I definitely needed a cash register to make accurate change.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I don't really have one but I really liked Infinite Jest. My first instinct when I finished it was to read it again.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Barbie always seemed to have the best life but it would get old walking around on your tiptoes.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Oh Baby by LCD Soundsystem

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I had to pivot pretty quickly to go to college on time because my parents' divorce made it impossible for me to attend the schools I got into when I could not afford the deposit to secure my space. I wound up calling colleges and seeing who would give me a free ride with my grades and scores. I still can't believe someone did.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

This office is a member of the community, not just a room in a building, tucked away from the public.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

In a nutshell, get it right, keep it tight is how I write opinions. In terms of the contents, I try to get it right without doing harm to the litigants or the law, if I can. Sometimes the law is ridiculous so all you can do is apply it and maybe in a concurrence point that out so that someone with the power to fix it (a higher court, the legislature) can fix it.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I admire how Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for gender equality before she took the bench and remained principled on that subject her whole career.

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

Yes. Without empathy, there are cases that could be decided absurdly. Like requiring criminal defendants to personally present their request for new counsel to the judge. There is physically no way for them to do that. Understanding circumstances helps foster correct decisions and avoid needless cruelty.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

There is no rating from the Bar Association itself but I did get good marks in the judicial evaluation survey. I got an overall rating of 53.8% Excellent responses and for Works hard and is prepared, I received 55.9% Excellent.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I was born to do this job. I am so grateful to be able to serve the public and make a difference for my community.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. People who have a history of public service are more likely to know what to do when they have more power and less likely to abuse it and to be doing it for the wrong reasons.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Judicial independence from interference from other political branches and from outsiders who want to remove obstacles to their control of the state by electing a friendly, beholden judiciary.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

Making the court system accessible to ordinary people and specifically affording representation and conflict resolution to people in high-stakes family law cases.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

Probably not. I'm good where I am.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

No, for me it understates it because criminal defense lawyers are rarely Houston Bar Association members and prosecutors have a 100% participation rate for the survey and their boss dislikes the local judiciary.

Tell us your favorite joke.

They say lawyers never die, they just lose their appeal. (Ok, that is really bad. Honestly, I don't really tell jokes.)

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have received all the non-partisan endorsements. The Houston Chronicle, the AFL-CIO, the Caucus, the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, the Association of Women Attorneys, the Houston Lawyers Association.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am a big believer in financial transparency and accountability. The United States Supreme Court needs some better rules, for example, to avoid special interests and biases and the appearance that members of the court have been bought and paid for by litigants.

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.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Sarah Beth Landau campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6	Lost general	$48,814	$61,067
Grand total			$48,814	$61,067
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 29, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by -	Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6 2019-2024	Succeeded by Andrew Johnson (R)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 29, 2024

[1]

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Sarah Beth Landau

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Campaign finance

Endorsements

2018

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 6

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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