Steven Denny

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Steven Denny

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 14, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

West Texas A&M University, 1996

Law

Texas Tech School of Law, 2000

Personal

Birthplace

Amarillo, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Steven Denny (Republican Party) ran in a special election for the Place 4 judge of the Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals. He lost in the special Republican primary on July 14, 2020.

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

Biography

Denny grew up in Amarillo, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree from West Texas A&M University in 1996 and his J.D. from the Texas Tech School of Law in 2000. His professional experience includes working as a lawyer with a focus on criminal defense since 2011, for PAE as a contract justice advisor in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011, as a felony prosecutor for the 47th District Attorney's office from 2006 to 2010, as a lawyer for Gibson Carver LLC from 2005 to 2006, and as a criminal defense attorney from 2000 to 2006.

Organizations

As of his 2020 campaign, Denny was affiliated with the following organizations:

• Eagle Scout- Boy Scouts of America
• Board Member, Diabetes Foundation of the High Plains
• Board Member- Crouch Foundation
• Board Member- Potter County Employee's Benefit Board
• Member State Bar of Texas
• Member Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association
• Member Panhandle Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association
• Life Member NRA
• Member- National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

General election

Special general election for Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Lawrence Doss won election in the special general election for Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lawrence Doss (R)	100.0	270,785

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 270,785
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Cal Huffaker (Nonpartisan)

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Lawrence Doss defeated Steven Denny in the special Republican primary for Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lawrence Doss	57.6	33,355
		Steven Denny	42.4	24,561

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57,916
= 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.

Voided primary

A primary for Texas' Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4 special election was originally scheduled for and held on March 3, 2020. Because the race was left off of the primary ballots provided by the Texas Secretary of State office to the Republican Party county chairs of Cochran and Collingsworth counties, the Republican primary voters in those counties were not able to vote in the primary contest. In the March 3 primary, incumbent Lawrence Doss received 45,676 votes and candidate Steven Denny received 45,973 votes, with Denny winning by a margin of 297 votes.

On March 12, 2020, Doss filed a challenge to the election results in Potter County. The trial court held that due to the Secretary of State election official's mistake, eligible voters in the affected counties were prevented from voting and the "true outcome" of the primary election could not be certain.

On April 1, 2020, the trial court entered its final judgment that the March 3 primary election be voided and that candidates Doss and Denny must have a do-over election in the entire 46-county area served by the Seventh District Court of Appeals.

On appeal, the Second District Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of the trial court, holding that the number of disenfranchised voters exceeded the margin of difference between the votes cast in the primary. Because the trial court could not make certain the election's true outcome, the statutory remedy would be to void the election and order a new one. The new primary election was ordered to take place on July 14, 2020, the same day as the Republican Party primary runoff election.

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released December 27, 2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steven Denny completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Denny'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 a lifelong conservative Republican. I am a member of Paramount Baptist church, a volunteer firefighter/emt, an Eagle Scout, NRA life member, firearms instructor, writer/blogger and an attorney. I am a member of the Federalist Society.

I have 20 years of experience in criminal law including over 40 criminal appeals to the court I am running for in the last 10 years.

I have been a felony prosecutor, defense lawyer, and justice advisor for the Department of State in Afghanistan.

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?

• I am a lifelong conservative. I have NEVER voted in the Democrat party primary.
• I have extensive criminal experience and this court hears more than 50% criminal cases as its caseload. The backlog of cases in the 7th Court is criminal cases.
• I have also handled the other types of cases this court hears. I have handled multi-million dollar lawsuits, family lay matters, contract disputes, and CPS matters, including CPS appeals.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Access to justice.

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

I look up to my parents. They have provided a great example of how to live an honest and fulfilling life as a married couple.

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

I have integrity. I have a strong work ethic. I enjoy research and writing.

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

Justices must work diligently to ensure cases are handle in an efficient manner.

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

I distinctly remember the Challenger disaster from 6th Grade. We were all so excited to see a teacher go to space. I later took an Organizational Communication class at WTAMU that covered the problems in NASA that led to that disaster and how to advise organizations to avoid similar communication failures.

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

My first real job was as a mechanic at the USDA research Laboratory at Bushland. I worked there to put myself through WTAMU. I worked there until I moved to go to law school.

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

Pachabel's Canon in D is usually bouncing around in my head somewhere.

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

Appeals courts have immense power. Every law is in jeopardy of being interpreted or misinterpreted by an appeals court. Some courts make rulings that are, in effect, new legislation based on the justices' personal beliefs. That isn't what appellate courts are meant for.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

The Judicial Branch's primary purpose is to serve as the "referee" of disputes in Texas Courts. The Courts ensure that frivolous claims are disposed of efficiently and that meritorious claimants get their day in court. The courts are responsible for providing speedy access to justice in all matters.

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

I met Justice Scalia several times and enjoyed reading his opinions.

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

I believe empathy is a good quality to be a human, but the law should be applied equally without regard to empathy.

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

The Texas Bar does not issue ratings.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am the best choice for the position.

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

Equal access to justice and efficient movement of cases.

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

I believe bar polls are not generally representative because of the lack of participation by practicing lawyers.

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.

See also

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