Steven Weinstein
Steven Weinstein was a 2016 candidate for the Texas 431st District Court in Texas.[1] He was defeated in the primary election on March 1, 2016.
Career
Weinstein is a shareholder of Weinstein Bosteder, PC in Plano.[2]
Issues
2016
Weinstein participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of local judicial candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what non-judicial legal experience qualifies him to be a judge, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | 23 Years of litigation experience[3][4] | ” |
When asked why he was running for this particular court seat, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The current judge is rated the worst in the State of Texas[3][4] | ” |
When asked to identify one judge, past or present, who he admires, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Justice Marshall[3][4] | ” |
When asked about his primary concern regarding today's judicial system in his state, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Lack of true justice[3][4] | ” |
Additional themes
Weinstein's campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
True belief in justice for all and if elected, I will do everything in my power to make sure litigants in both civil and criminal cases assigned to my court will receive a fair, even handed, unbiased judge. Strong belief in giving everything I can back to my community. I have taken on over a 100 plus annual hours of pro bono legal work throughout my career. In the past two years I have received the presidential gold medal for volunteerism based for well over 500 hours of volunteer work each year.
I constantly strive to better myself, my legal skills and my relations with government agency's. I am a graduate of the Carrollton Citizen's Police Academy and the Plano Citizen's Police Academy. I believe in strong family values and have been married for 21 years and have two wonderful kids. If elected Judge of the 431st Denton County District Court, I will follow the law and both the Texas and US constitution without faultier. I do not claim that if elected I will be the best judge we have, but I do commit that I will do my best to facilitate true justice in my courtroom. Beyond any doubt I have twice the legal practice experience of my opponent Judge Jonathan Bailey who was first handed his position via appointment and the only time he was elected he ran without challenge. [4] |
” |
| —Steven Weinstein (2016), [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 Jonathan Bailey defeated Steven Weinstein in the Texas 431st District Court Republican primary.[1]
| Texas 431st District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jonathan Bailey Incumbent |
63.43% | 37,930 |
| Steven Weinstein | 36.57% | 21,865 |
| Total Votes | 59,795 | |
| Source: Denton County, Texas, "2016 Republican Primary," accessed March 2, 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]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Weinstein Bosteder, PC, "Shareholders," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ballotpedia's local judicial candidate survey, 2016, "Steven Weinstein's Responses," February 29, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Steven W. Weinstein, "Home," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ 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
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
