Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Lawrence "Larry" Meyers confirmed Wednesday he is planning to run for the court's top spot, challenging controversial presiding Judge Sharon Keller in next year's Republican primary.
Meyers, of Fort Worth, was the first Republican elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992 and is currently its longest serving member. On Tuesday, he sent a brief memo to his colleagues explaining his decision to seek higher office, implying that Keller has held the presiding judge position for too long. Keller has been on the court since 1994 but has served as presiding judge since 2000."The normal term for this position is 8-10 years. As such, it is time to rotate the presiding judgeship on our Court," Meyers wrote in the memo.Keller, now in her second term as presiding judge, said she wasn't aware of Meyers' plans to run against her until the memo was circulated to members of the court."If he wants to be presiding judge, this is when he has to run, so I guess that's what he's doing," she told the Star-Telegram. "No, I did not know he was planning to run."Keller, 57, was elected to the court in 1994 and won election as presiding judge in 2000. She was re-elected to the top position on the court in 2006.Meyers' challenge is not the first time she has faced opposition from within the court. Tom Price, currently the court's third most senior member after Keller and Meyers, ran against her in the Republican primary in 2000 and 2006. Keller won their last race by nearly 53 percent to 47 percent, according to the Secretary of State's Office."I'm used to people on my court running against me," she said.Keller and Meyers have been colleagues for more than 15 years. "We're on good terms," she said.Keller found herself in a multi-year legal fracas that drew national attention after she ordered the court shut at 5 p.m. Sept. 25, 2007, which lawyers for condemned killer Michael Richard said blocked them from filing a last-minute appeal. Richard was executed that night for the rape and slaying of a Houston-area nurse. The state Commission on Judicial Conduct issued a "public warning" of Keller's actions but last October, a special court dismissed the reprimand.Keller said she will seek re-election and has already ready begun gathering citizen signatures from each of the state's 14 courts of appeals districts to get on the ballot.Asked if the judicial conduct commission's investigation would be an issue in the race, she said, "Oh, I don't know what to say about that."Keller said she will cite her involvement in criminal justice organizations outside the court as a theme in her re-election campaign, including service as chair of the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense.Aman Batheja, 817-390-7695Dave Montgomery, 512-476-Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
