Maria Jackson
Maria T. Jackson was the judge of Texas District 339 from 2009 to 2019.[1] She was elected in 2008 and re-elected on November 6, 2012.[2][3] Jackson resigned from the bench September 30, 2019.[4]
Jackson was a Democratic candidate for the presiding judge position of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2018. She lost the general election on November 6, 2018, after advancing from the primary on March 6, 2018.
Biography
As of 2019, Maria Jackson lived in Houston, Texas. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1987 and a J.D. from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 1998. Jackson volunteered as a mentor for at-risk youth, students, and young lawyers. Jackson was appointed to serve as a municipal court judge for the city of Houston in 2003.[5]
Elections
2018
- See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2018
General election
General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge
Incumbent Sharon Keller defeated Maria T. Jackson and William Bryan Strange in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sharon Keller (R) | 52.2 | 4,288,913 |
 | Maria T. Jackson (D) | 45.5 | 3,734,179 | |
| William Bryan Strange (L) | 2.3 | 187,384 | ||
| Total votes: 8,210,476 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge
Maria T. Jackson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Maria T. Jackson |
| ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge
Incumbent Sharon Keller defeated David Bridges in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sharon Keller | 52.1 | 671,361 |
 | David Bridges | 47.9 | 616,096 | |
| Total votes: 1,287,457 | |||
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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 Maria Jackson ran unopposed in the Texas 339th District Court Democratic primary.[7]
| Texas 339th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Maria Jackson Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 146,794 |
| Total Votes | 146,794 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Incumbent Maria Jackson defeated Mary McFaden in the Texas 339th District Court general election.
| Texas 339th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Maria Jackson Incumbent |
52.51% | 665,081 | |
| Republican | Mary McFaden | 47.49% | 601,472 | |
| Total Votes | 1,266,553 | |||
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 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.[8]
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."[9]
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;*[10]
- 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.[8]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[8]
2012
Jackson ran for re-election to the 339th District Court and defeated challenger Brad Hart with 50.6% of the vote.[11][2]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Endorsements
2016
Jackson's campaign endorsements included the following organizations:[12]
- Tejano Democrats of Harris County
- Houston Black American Democrats
- Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
- Houston Press
- Harris County Deputies' Organization
Awards and associations
Awards
- Best Criminal Court Judge of 2011[3]
Associations
- Board of District Judges’ Administration of Justice
- Legislative Committee
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas State Bar College
- Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation
- American Bar Association
- Houston Lawyers Association
- Houston Bar Association
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Campaign website (2007 339th State District Court election)
- LinkedIn page
- Texas Judicial Branch
Footnotes
- ↑ 339th District
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harris County, Texas-2012 General Elections Results
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Official Website Bio
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Maria Jackson, longest-serving Harris County felony judge, steps down," September 27, 2019
- ↑ Official Website of Judge Maria T. Jackson, "About Me," accessed January 26, 2018
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 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
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ Judge Maria T. Jackson, "Endorsements," accessed October 13, 2016
