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Vanessa Velasquez
Vanessa Velasquez (Republican Party) was a judge of the Texas 183rd District Court. She left office in 2018.
Velasquez (Republican Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 183rd District Court. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
Velasquez earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston, going on to receive her J.D. from the South Texas College of Law.[1] Prior to her judicial appointment in 2005, Velasquez worked as a defense attorney, as a district attorney for Harris County and as a prosecutor.[2]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Texas 183rd District Court
Chuck Silverman defeated incumbent Vanessa Velasquez in the general election for Texas 183rd District Court on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Chuck Silverman (D) | 53.8 | 636,684 | |
| Vanessa Velasquez (R) | 46.2 | 547,537 | ||
| Total votes: 1,184,221 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 183rd District Court
Chuck Silverman advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 183rd District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Chuck Silverman | 100.0 | 132,949 | |
| Total votes: 132,949 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas 183rd District Court
Incumbent Vanessa Velasquez advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 183rd District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Vanessa Velasquez | 100.0 | 115,483 | |
| Total votes: 115,483 | |||
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2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Velasquez ran for re-election to the 183rd District Court.
Primary: She ran unopposed in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014.
General: She won without opposition in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[3][4]
2010
Velasquez defeated Democrat Michael Gomez in the general election for the 183rd District Court, winning 57 percent of the vote.
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.[5]
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."[6]
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;*[7]
- 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.[5]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[5]
See also
| Harris County, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas State Directory Online, "Vanessa Velasquez (R)," cached April 4, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)" (Search "Harris")
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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
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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
