Candidates for Judge in Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 in Republican primary
Michelle Slaughter
Age: 49
Campaign website: JudgeMichelleSlaughter.com
Best way for voters to reach you: Voters can email me through my website JudgeMichelleSlaughter.com.
Occupation: Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Pl. 8
Education: J.D., cum laude (top 15%), University of Houston Law Center; B.A., magna cum laude, University of Houston
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): Yes. I first ran and was elected to the 405th District Court of Galveston County in 2012. I was re-elected to that position in 2016. Then, in 2018, I was elected statewide as Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Pl. 8.
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism: I currently serve as an adjunct law professor for Baylor Law School’s Criminal Law Bootcamp and as a board member for Adria Women’s Health, a pregnancy center in Texas City. I have served as a director for the Rotary Club of Galveston and was a Paul Harris Fellow. For several years, I served on the board of The Galloway School, a private Christian school in Friendswood, Texas. These are just a few highlights. A more complete list is available on my website www.JudgeMichelleSlaughter.com.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: Only in my capacity as a judge. Criminal defendants often sue judges. To my knowledge all such lawsuits have been dismissed as meritless.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: The Pinkerton Law Firm; TLR PAC, and Muhammad Aziz. Chad Pinkerton and Muhammad Aziz are friends from law school who are now successful attorneys.
Why are you seeking this office?: I first ran for judge in 2012, because I was tired of complaining about poorly performing, activist judges and decided I was willing to take a more than 50% pay cut to do something about it. After defeating the 12-year incumbent Democrat judge, I transformed the court from the least efficient, least effective district court with the highest backlog in the county into the most efficient, most effective district court with the lowest backlog in the county. While serving as a district judge, I presided over civil and felony criminal cases. The criminal cases occupied about 70% of my time. I loved it, and I was good at it. Therefore, when a seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals opened in 2018, I decided to take my talent, passion, experience, and judicial philosophy as a constitutional conservative and originalist judge to our highest criminal court. I love serving and I want to ensure that we maintain a strong, conservative, law-and-order Court.
What are the biggest challenges facing a Court of Criminal Appeals judge?: Balancing efficiency while thoroughly considering each matter. The Court of Criminal Appeals is one of the busiest appellate courts in the nation. For reference, the Court receives about three times the number of filings as the Texas Supreme Court and issues about three times the number of opinions. Each of the nine judges votes and participates in almost every matter. Given the fact that decisions from the Court are binding on all lower courts, it is critically important to thoroughly analyze the issues presented. Yet, at the same time, we need to issue our opinions and decisions as quickly as we can. Ultimately, some matters take much longer to decide based on the voluminous records and complexity of the issues involved.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?:
(1) Increase the disposition rate to reduce backlog. The Court already has an over 100% disposition rate, but there is always room for improvement. The learning curve for this job is steep. But, each year I have become more efficient and will work hard to continue increasing efficiency.
(2) Educate the public about the Texas court system. Most Texans have no knowledge of our court structure or how our justice system functions. I have tried to take every opportunity to speak on the issues. I will continue to do so over the coming years.
(3) Remind attorneys and judges of their roles and obligations. During my tenure on the Court, I have been faced with many cases where attorneys and/or judges have ignored or have been ignorant about their roles, duties and obligations and have therefore failed to promote justice. To address this, I have written numerous side opinions in such cases to call out and call attention to the problems. I plan to continue doing so.
How will you measure your success as a Court of Criminal Appeals judge?: I will consider myself a successful Court of Criminal Appeals judge as long as I remain a constitutional conservative and originalist judge who strictly interprets our Constitution and laws as written and as originally intended.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?: I am a proven and uncompromising constitutional conservative and originalist judge. I will never be an activist judge regardless of public or political pressure or any outside influences. I will always strictly interpret our Constitution and laws as written and as originally intended, even if I do not like the law or the outcome. I also have superior qualifications, one being my more than 11 years of judicial experience. My opponent has no judicial experience, almost no appellate experience, and limited criminal law experience. Further, he claims to be conservative and have integrity, yet he has incurred a half-million-dollar judgment against him along with an order of foreclosure and forced sale of his home. This suggests a lack of integrity, personal responsibility, and accountability. In stark contrast to my opponent, I have a proven and public track record of being efficient, effective, saving taxpayer dollars, demonstrating integrity, and being a true conservative and originalist.
Lee Finley
Age: 53
Campaign website: finleyforjudge.com
Best way for voters to reach you: gleefinley@gmail.com; 972-379-7001; twitter.com/FinleyforJudge; facebook.com/leefinleyforcca; finleyforjudge.com
Occupation: Attorney
Education: University of Texas at Austin School of Law · J.D. University of Texas at Austin · B.A. Philosophy Tarrant County College · A.A. Humanities & Chemistry
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): Republican Precinct chair. County Judge (2022, Republican Primary)
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism: Republican Precinct Chair. Republican Candidate for Office. NRA. Gun Owners of America. Indigent Defense. Defending Parents who homeschool from unwarranted CPS intrusion. Indigent Mental Health representation.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding?: Not as a Defendant. I have represented others in thousands of “criminal proceedings.”
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: My wife was involved in a civil lawsuit. I was added because I was her spouse.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: John Peck, Vera Peck, John Albers
Why are you seeking this office?: I am seeking this office to bring greater consistency to the rulings of the Court of Criminal Appeals. My three primary goals are to:1. Reduce the time the court takes to render opinion;2. Address the recent trend of decisions that have the effect of preventing the prosecution of provisions of the Texas Criminal Code and Texas Election Code; and3. Ensure the efficient, effective and affordable administration of Justice for all citizens.
What are the biggest challenges facing a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge?: The biggest challenges facing the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are:
1. The time the court takes to render opinions
2. The recent trend of decisions that have the effect of preventing the prosecution of provisions of the Texas Criminal code and Texas Election Code
3. The lack of accountability to the Citizens
4. The inability to deliver the efficient, effective, affordable administration of Justice for all citizens
5. The negative opinion of, and loss of confidence in, the Court, created by national news coverage of controversial decisions like the Cesar Fierro case, the Roy Criner case, and the Michael Richard case
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?:
1. Reduce the time the court takes to render opinion
2. Ensure Election Integrity by addressing the recent trend of CCA decisions that have the prevent the effective enforcement of Texas laws, including the Texas Election Code
3. Ensure the efficient, effective and affordable administration of Justice for all citizens.
How will you measure your success as a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge?: Reduced time between case filing and decisions; increased prosecution of violations of TX laws; Improved quality of indigent defense lawyers, resulting in fewer appeals.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?: I am a Marine Corps veteran with more than 20 years of criminal experience. I’ve handled thousands of criminal cases. My opponent has never tried a criminal case. I am a true lifelong Conservative Republican;I am, and have always been;Strongly pro life Pro second amendment Pro individual rights, and Anti big government. Reagan said “if you don’t control government, government will control you.”Election integrity is absolutely essential to a free society. My opponent removed the Attorney General’s power to prosecute election fraud. This election may be the most important of our lifetime:On March 5th, the voters will decide how their leaders will be chosen, and if their laws will be enforced. As a US Marine, I swore an Oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That Oath never expires.
