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Herb Ritchie
Herb Ritchie was a judge of the Texas 337th District Court. He assumed office on January 1, 2017. He left office on December 31, 2020.
Ritchie was a 2014 candidate for the 263rd District Court in Texas. He was previously a judge for the 337th District Court but was defeated when he ran for re-election in 2012.[1][2]
Biography
Ritchie received his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of Texas.[3] Ritchie was elected in 2008 as judge of Texas District 337 and served until 2012. He worked in private practice prior to his election.[3]
Campaign themes
2016
Ritchie's campaign website included the following themes:
| “ |
The dockets in Harris County have exploded with the burgeoning population, and the last criminal district court in Harris County was created in 1985. I have advocated for the creation of additional courts, and also for the addition of court magistrates to hear uncontested pleas and other administrative matters in order that the elected judges can spend more time trying and disposing of contested cases. As judge of the 337th Criminal District Court, I spent long hours on the bench whenever necessary to keep the docket as current as possible. Jail overcrowding is a serious and dangerous problem. Accordingly, I would give diligent participation credit to state jail prisoners who do not earn good conduct time for time served. When Judge of the 337th Criminal District Court, I told defendants at sentencing that I would award maximum diligent participation credit for diligent participation in programs such as work, education, and/or treatment. My rationale was that this would (1) save taxpayer money since less jail space would be required; (2) encourage defendants to better themselves through education and treatment for substance abuse; (3) discourage inmate fighting and abuse toward jailers, lest the time credit for diligent participation be lost. Jail and prison space must be adequate for violent offenders. As judge, I would try to rehabilitate non-violent and substance abuse offenders in appropriate cases. I had at one point in time time, to the best of my knowledge, more defendants on probation and deferred adjudication than any other criminal district judge in Harris County. Thus jail space was saved for violent offenders who were a danger to the community. Effective representation of indigent defendants is a great concern, and I used the Harris County Public Defenders Office as much as possible. This would ensure that by and large the same resources would be available to the defense of the indigent as there would be for the prosecution. There needs to be a level playing field for justice to prevail.[4][5] |
” |
| —Herb Ritchie (2016) | ||
Elections
2020
Herb Ritchie did not file to run for re-election.
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] Herb Ritchie ran unopposed in the Texas 337th District Court Democratic primary.[7]
| Texas 337th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Herb Ritchie (unopposed) |
100.00% | 142,329 |
| Total Votes | 142,329 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Herb Ritchie defeated incumbent Renee Magee in the Texas 337th District Court general election.
| Texas 337th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Herb Ritchie |
50.93% | 644,494 | |
| Republican | Renee Magee Incumbent | 49.07% | 620,917 | |
| Total Votes | 1,265,411 | |||
| 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]
2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Ritchie ran for election to the 263rd District Court.
Primary: He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 4, 2014.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 45.9 percent of the vote. He competed against Jim Wallace.
[11][12][13]
2012
Ritchie ran for re-election to the 337th District Court and was defeated by challenger Renee Magee.[14][2]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Endorsements
2016
Ritchie's campaign endorsements included the following organizations:[15]
- Houston Stonewall Young Democrats
- Harris County Tejano Democrats
- Area 5 Democrats
- Bay Area New Democrats
- Communication Workers of America 6222
Awards and associations
- Houston Bar Association
- College of the State Bar of Texas[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 337th District
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harris County, Texas-2012 General Elections Results
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Campaign Website Bio
- ↑ Herb Ritchie for Judge, "Justice Matters," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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, "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")
- ↑ Harris County Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report - March 4, 2014 Primary Election," March 5, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ Herb Ritchie for Judge, "Endorsements and Supporters," accessed October 13, 2016
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
