Thomas Baker (Texas)

Thomas Baker (Democratic Party) was a judge for Place 5 of the Texas Third District Court of Appeals. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. He left office on December 31, 2024.

Baker (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Place 5 judge of the Texas Third District Court of Appeals. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Thomas Baker was born in Denison, Texas. Baker served in the United States Navy from 1984 to 1991. He earned a B.A. in government from the University of Texas in 1980 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1983. Baker’s career experience includes working as an attorney with Baker & Tisdale PLLC. Baker has been affiliated with the Calvert Inns of Court.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Karin Crump won election in the general election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Karin Crump (D)	100.0	849,117

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 849,117
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Karin Crump defeated incumbent Thomas Baker in the Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Karin Crump	56.2	78,705
	Thomas Baker	43.8	61,374

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 140,079
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Baker received the following endorsements.

Austin Chronicle

2018

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Thomas Baker defeated incumbent David Puryear in the general election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Thomas Baker (D)	53.9	560,790
	David Puryear (R)	46.1	479,517

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,040,307
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Thomas Baker advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Thomas Baker

	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 Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Incumbent David Puryear advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		David Puryear

	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.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Thomas Baker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Baker'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 Democratic incumbent Justice, Place 5, Third Court of Appeals. I love my job. I would like to apply the experience from my first five years at the court in one more term. I will not seek another term beyond this.

I ran with Justices Triana, Kelly and Smith in 2018 as the only Democrats to run, helping to flip the Third Court from all-Republican to Democratic. I defeated the longest-serving Republican incumbent, Justice David Puryear, 54-46.

The Third Court of Appeals is one of 14 Texas intermediate appellate courts. I ranked 5th of those courts' 80 justices the past two years in opinions, totaling 585 civil and criminal opinions. The past five years, I helped judge the Mack Kidd Moot Court for law students and ABOTA mock trial for high school students. I am a 15-year member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, far exceeding continuing judicial education requirements.

I am a Board-certified family law attorney. Before being elected to our court, I had a civil practice in the Central Texas counties of Bell, Coryell, McLennan and Williamson counties, specialized in family law and appeals.

I have resided in Temple the past 30 years, have been married to my wife, Cynthia, for 30 years. and together we have raised two daughters, Sarah and Emily, and now have a son-in-law, Jack. Cynthia has been a certified elementary school teacher in Texas and North Dakota public and Catholic schools for 40 years.

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?

If I retain my bench, Democrats retain a Travis County civil trial court bench, preventing Governor Abbott from appointing a Republican for up to two years which would be unfair for Travis County residents who voted for my opponent to serve in that office.
I am the more experienced and knowledgeable appellate choice to keep at the Third Court of Appeals; I ran for this office against a Republican in 2018 when my opponent chose to run for her civil trial bench with no opponent.
I will treat all parties and counsel with respect and dignity in all aspects of our court. I will judge all appeals fairly, and my opinions likewise will reflect those values.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the dignity of all persons, about equal and fair treatment of all persons and valuing all persons equally. In terms of public policy, I believe government should focus on those missions that serve the needs of all persons, including health care, education, and basic human needs of food and shelter for those less well off than others. I want to see government work towards a fair tax code but stay out of the most personal decisions in its citizens' lives, such as parenting decisions and women's doctor-patient decisions, including the reproduction decisions.

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

I look up to Pope Francis as a good leader trying to bridge the divide in our damaged world. I would love to follow his example of love and unity.

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

To Kill A Mockingbird most reflects my philosophy of life and politics.

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

The most important characteristic or principle for elected officials is humility, never forgetting all citizens who put you there and never letting power or trappings of office go to your head. After that elected officials need to treat all persons with respect and dignity and value. For judges, it is equal treatment of all and reaching the correct legal outcome based on court filings. For me it is applying my Democratic values in my personal life.

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

My qualities are my conscientiousness and compassion for others. I care about all persons and their lives.

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

The core responsibilities are attempting to get results handed down as timely as possible and getting the right holding from what the trial record and law require.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of having done my best and some good for those who had cases before our court. I would like to be remembered as a justice who took his oath seriously every day.

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

I was 7 when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. We were residing in Denison, Texas, not far from where that event occurred. I was in second grade which let out at around lunchtime for the rest of that day.

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

My first jobs were working on the local daily newspaper and working on school newspapers as a reporter and editor..

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird or Billy Budd are examples of favorite novels because of the struggles of the central characters against adversity and how they dealt with adversity.

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

Perhaps Atticus Finch would be a fictional character I would like to embody.

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

I cannot answer this queston presently.

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

The struggles of my life have been the losses of my big sister, our oldest sibling, my parents and now a brother. I have wrestled with those losses and getting through them. Professionally my greatest struggle was transitioning from the Navy to civilian law practice.

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

The entire world of courts, especially appellate courts, is obscure to the public. I hope that the public will take as much time as possible to learn as much as possible before voting for their judicial incumbents or opponents because it is an important branch of government. Texas elects judges, and the public too often does not know who we are before it is time to vote.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

My legal philosophy is to attempt to reach a just and fair result within the trial record and the law, and insofar as those limitations permit apply my sense of justice and fairness to the case before us. If I believe strongly regarding some aspect of a case, I try to persuade my colleagues to win their vote(s). My philosophy is to always remember that the papers we are reading are not sterile facts but involve persons' lives. I approach each case with the utmost seriousness and solemnity.

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

One justice I admired greatly is the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginzburg. Going back in time, we have had several great Supreme Court justices whose reputations will withstand the test of time.

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

Of course, empathy absolutely is needed and important in looking at every case. We should put ourselves in the place of the party or parties and walk around in their shoes when we are deciding matters that are of the utmost gravity in their lives.

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

I am not aware of any rating by any Bar Association. I was rated by clients in public opinions posted on social media, but those were subjective judgments.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for a second term because I believe I have the knowledge and experience to serve the court and carry out my office better than my opponent can. I am Board-certified in an important area of law with which our court deals with in family law and parental termination reviews.

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

It is not necessarily beneficial or detrimental for a judge to have experience in government or politics. It is more beneficial to have experience in the courts, representing parties, or being part of the legal system interacting with the public.

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

My primary concern is that our highest courts are entirely from one political party in part because the Democratic Party has not won a statewide office in about 30 years. This is not good for the citizens of Texas. Our highest courts should reflect views from both major political parties. This is missing now. Judges should not decide cases based on political parties or political views, but they should represent a cross-section of the state's population. The highest courts do not do this. I have concern that in at least one case or more justice at the highest level was "purchased" through political donations. This troubles me greatly. Our present highest courts and every branch of government in our State is in the hands of one political party, the legislature, governor, all statewide executive offices, and the courts are not acting as the checks and balances which they should be but more as rubber stamps sometimes.

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

The greatest opportunity for the legal system is to be more of a check on the excesses of our state government Legislature and Governor.

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

I will not seek another term in office beyond this present election, barring some extraordinary circumstances.

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

I cannot answer this question fairly as I am not sure how Bar Association ratings work or how much they reflect a judge's objective ability or work.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I cannot answer this question presently.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Austin Chronicle, Texas State Democrats, AFSCME

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

My only thoughts here as this applies to judicial office is never allow any campaign donations affect me in any way in what I think or do at our court. I must recognize any biases that get in the way of coherent, logical decision-making processes. If I cannot be fair to everyone, then I need to recognize whether I must recuse myself from a case.

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.

Thomas Baker campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5	Lost primary	$46,283	$54,704
Grand total			$46,283	$54,704
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 Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Personal

Footnotes

↑ LinkedIn, "Tom (Thomas John) Baker," accessed February 7, 2018
↑ Baker & Tisdale PLLC, "Thomas J. Baker," accessed February 7, 2018
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 29, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by -	Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5 2019-2024	Succeeded by Karin Crump (D)

[1] LinkedIn, "Tom (Thomas John) Baker," accessed February 7, 2018

[2] Baker & Tisdale PLLC, "Thomas J. Baker," accessed February 7, 2018

[3] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 29, 2024

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Thomas Baker (Texas)

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Campaign finance

Endorsements

2018

General election

General election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 5

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

Information for candidates

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