Sam Houston

From Judgepedia

Sam Houston was a 2008 Democratic candidate for the Texas Supreme Court, challenging Republican justice J. Dale Wainwright for Place 7 on November 4, 2008 ballot. Houston lost in his bid to unseat Wainwright.

2008 General Election results

• For Supreme Court, Place 7, Justice Dale Wainwright won reelection, defeating Democrat Sam Houston and Libertarian David Smith on November 4. Wainwright received 51% of the vote to Houston's 46% and Smith's 3%.^[1]

For more information see the Texas Supreme Court elections article.

Legal education and experience

Houston - no relation to the 19th century statesman - obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the University of Texas. He received his law degree from Baylor University in 1987 and has been working as a trial lawyer for Houston-based litigation firms for nearly twenty years.

Houston began his legal career in litigation at the Houston-based firm Andrews and Kurth. In 1993 he was named partner of Cruse, Scott, Henderson & Allen, joining a firm whose founders he had met while working at Andrews and Kurth. Houston has been practicing litigation law for over 20 years, practicing in the areas of professional malpractice, board complaints, business litigation, and general liability. He has often given briefs and argued in the court of appeals system, as well as before the Texas Supreme Court.^[2]

Certifications

• Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law.
• National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Advocacy
• Licensed with the U.S. District Courts in the Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

Awards, Memberships and Civic Activities

Houston is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has been named one of Houston’s Top Lawyers by the Houston Magazine and was featured as a “Super Lawyer” in Texas Monthly. He is a member of the First Congregational Church of Houston, where he has served as a trustee. He is active with the Texas Psychological Association, giving numerous presentations to the organization and publishing legal articles in its magazine. In 2000 he established a Telephone Consultation Program in conjunction with the organization.

2008 Campaign

Press statements

• Houston begins his first campaign for public office with the goal of bringing more balance to the Court he believes sides too often with businesses and corporations in its "unchecked activist agenda of doing away with individual rights and legal remedies."^[3]

• In a December 3 press release, Houston, who has presided over jury trials for the majority of his career, laid out his mission of protecting jury rulings:

"My life’s pursuit has taught me the value of our jury system and the right to trial by a jury of one’s peers. Our forefathers understood the importance of the jury system—it is a part of our history and our heritage. In my view and in the view of many others, the current Supreme Court of Texas has been undermining the jury system, particularly in civil trials, and this has been of great concern to me both as a lawyer and as a citizen."^[4]

• Criticism of Texas Supreme Court, Court of Appeals motivates judicial candidates

In this May 2, 2008 article, Houston is quoted as saying, "I'm not out to swing it for people who are not in business. I do believe in adding new blood ... and swing the pendulum back to the center."

Primary Race

Sam Houston announced his candidacy in October 2007 and was victorious over opponent Baltasar Cruz of Dallas in the March 2008 Democratic primary to win the party's nomination for the Supreme Court race. Houston won with 1,128,063 votes over Cruz's 890,334.^[5] Many prominent Texas newspapers endorsed Houston over Cruz in the Primary based on Houston's experience in the private sector, and his goals to counter what he sees as a "results-oriented" bench that too often sides with big business. Cruz, in contrast, ran on a platform of judicial reform, including "a change to ethics rules that would forbid judges from accepting campaign contributions from attorneys with cases pending before the court."^[6] Houston was also backed by an audience of high-profile Texas lawyers and raised $111,650 in campaign funds, compared to Cruz's $2,500.^[7]

Questionnaire

Why are you running for office? Q/A from Houston Chronicle questionnaire:

"I am a Democrat and a trial lawyer. It has been my impression and many others (including noted professors at the major law schools here in the state) that our Supreme Court frequently disregards jury verdicts and too often sides with defendants and corporations. I believe that it is time to balance our court, which will best happen by electing a trial lawyer with experience who is also a Democrat."^[8]

Campaign Contributions

As of the most recent campaign disclosure report, Sam Houston has raised $196,252. He has received the majority of his donations from lawyers amd lobbyists totaling $127,900. His opponent Republican Dale Wainwright has $320,145 on hand as of the most recent filing. To view the complete summary, visit Follow the Money.

At Texas's Democratic Convention

Houston addressed Texas delegates at Texas's 2008 Democratic Convention

Excerpt: "Our civil justice system is under attack....Our Supreme Court has forgotten several things....They've forgotten that our civil justice system is for everyone. The [Texas] Supreme Court...has become an activist court...the cases decided by our court today will effect you, your children, and your children's children....I've got a great ballot name, but there's got to be more."

Endorsements

• Complete list of Sam Houston's Endorsements
• Texas AFL-CIO
• Association of Women Attorneys (Houston)
• Austin Progressive Coalition
• Capital Area Asian American Democrats
• Central Austin Democrats
• Harris County Democrats
• Harris County Tejano Democrats
• Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats
• Houston GLBT Political Caucus
• Mexican American Democrats
• North by Northwest Democrats (Austin)
• Nueces County Tejano Democrats
• South Texas Tejano Democrats
• Stonewall Democrats of Dallas
• University Democrats (Austin)
• West Austin Democrats

Special Page

See the page entitled Texas Supreme Court elections for more information.

See also

• Texas Supreme Court
• J. Dale Wainwright
• 2008 Texas Supreme Court Elections
• 2008 State Supreme Court Elections

External links

• Sam Houston for Texas Supreme Court
• Dallas Morning News Voter Guide
• Sam Houston's campaign finance disclosures

References