Steven Miears

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

Steven Miears

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Austin College, 1980

Law

Texas Tech University School of Law, 1982

Personal

Birthplace

Austin, Texas

Religion

Methodist, Unity

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Steven Miears (Democratic Party) ran for election for the Place 4 judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Steven Miears was born in Austin, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree from Austin College in 1980 and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1982. His career experience includes working as an attorney.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Kevin Patrick Yeary defeated Tina Yoo Clinton in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Patrick Yeary (R)	54.8	5,974,016
		Tina Yoo Clinton (D)	45.2	4,924,207

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,898,223
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Tina Yoo Clinton defeated Steven Miears in the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tina Yoo Clinton	80.5	1,380,356
		Steven Miears	19.5	334,474

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,714,830
= 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 Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Kevin Patrick Yeary advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Patrick Yeary	100.0	1,679,193

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,679,193
= 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

Steven Miears completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Miears' 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 progressive democrat who wants to bring a conscience to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

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 Board Certified in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate law.
• I have handled over a hundred appeals in criminal cases.
• I have over 30 years experience in handling capital murder cases at trial and on appeal.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I feel that Texas law should embrace society's evolving views about the death penalty, reasonable gun control, and marijuana laws. Texans have a right to privacy and to be protected from unlawful governmental interference in their right to speech, association, pro-creation, marriage, and divorce. There are too many Texans incarcerated for non-violent crimes. We are better served by drug courts, mental health courts, and veterans courts instead of locking people up for non-violent offenses. We are better served by funding more police officer training, programs for at-risk youth, and education than we are by spending millions to execute someone who can be incarcerated for life without parole.

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

I look up to Martin Luther King, Jr. because of his views on change through non-violent resistance. Read: Stride for Freedom. It will change your life.

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

Read: Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis, Stride For Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr., and Illusions by Richard Bach.

What legacy would you like to leave?

"He never passed up an opportunity to help somebody in trouble."

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

I can recall when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. I was 4. I will never forget the hateful racists comments made by people.

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

My first job was working at Palms Nursery in Houston at age 15. I worked there through high school--watering a lot of plants.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Illusions by Richard Bach.

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

Yogi Bear.

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

"Lives in the Balance" by Jackson Browne.

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

The Court decided over 4,000 writs of habeas corpus filed mostly by indigent inmates. These writs raise claims of DNA innocence, prosecutorial misconduct, and faulty forensic science. The Court rarely grants relief that is needed to these inmates.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

My legal philosophy is that JUSTICE usually comes down to "JUST US" or "JUST ME" willing to fight for what is right and against what is wrong in a particular situation based upon specific facts.

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

I've admired Justice Blackmun in the legal holding of Roe v. Wade.

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

Empathy and Sympathy are important. I grew up in the Brentwood neighborhood of Houston and graduated from Houston's Madison High School. That taught me to walk a mile in another's shoes before judging them. I believe God loves us and wants us to have second chances.

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

I've received the "Heart of a Champion" award in 2011 from the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. For the last 7 years I've been selected as a Super Lawyer in Texas Criminal Law by the Texas Monthly Magazine.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I want to bring a conscience to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals by bringing the values of a progressive democrat to the Court.

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

Not always.

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

My primary concern is that are judges are FOR SALE to the highest bidder. I accept no political donations.

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

Texas needs to incarcerate fewer people for non-violent offenses, serious bail reform, and decriminalization of marijuana for personal use.

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

This Court would be enough. I believe in term limits for judges.

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

Probably not.

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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