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| Election defeat stuns incumbent Harris Co. judges |
| 2008-11-07 |
| District judges at the Harris County civil and criminal courthouses were shocked and somber a day after voters gave nearly every incumbent seeking re-election their walking papers. "Though we anticipated it would be close, to see really good judges swept out is still stunning," said civil District Judge Patricia Kerrigan, a Republican who won her race by about 2,500 votes. Kerrigan said most of the civil judges who lost were in the courthouse working on Wednesday. Other judges said some of their colleagues were shell-shocked. The straight-party Democratic voting that ushered in a new batch of civil and criminal district judges in Harris County was not the biggest surprise. But the fact that four Republican judges survived Democratic challenges left courthouse observers to speculate how they did it. The most common theory is that voters were wary of Democrats with uncommon names. The GOP judge with the highest percentage of votes was civil Judge Sharon McCally, whose opponent was Ashish Mahendru. Other Democrats who lost were Mekisha Murray, Andres Pereira and Goodwille Pierre. They lost to incumbent judges Mark Kent Ellis, Patricia Kerrigan and Joseph Halbach, respectively. "How common a person's name is has always been a factor in judicial races," said civil District Judge Mark Davidson, who lost the bench he's had since 1989. "Up until 1987, people named Smith ran 14 times and won 14 times." Smiths have lost a couple of times since. Unspoken rule tossed Davidson and others said the names matter because judicial races are just too hard for voters to research. One factor is low media coverage. Another is that judges can't say much that distinguishes themselves, since they can't comment on the cases they handle. Civil District Judge Sharolyn Wood, who lost the seat she's had since 1985, lamented that voters have lost "about 250 years of judicial experience" in this sweep. She said Harris County's judiciary has been kept stable by an understanding that experienced judges weren't challenged, but that unspoken agreement was tossed out this year. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 My persoanl policy is to vote against all incumbent judges. Party affiliation doesn't matter. These assholes think they are royals after a couple of terms. Clear the dead wood and let someone else get to the slop trough is my theory. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-11-07 12:13 |
| #6 Maybe they just wanted to take out the trash. Houston's residents are prolly tired of watching liberal judges flush their city down the crapper with ridiculous decisions on issues like immigration and schools. That large of a consensus probably isn't wrong. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-11-07 11:23 |
| #5 Definitely need something more catchy. How about: A vote for CO is a vote for Yo! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-11-07 10:40 |
| #4 Sorry, CM. I just can't see a lawn sign with "Vote for Monoxide" doing much to up your poll numbers. I think a bumper sticker would be even worse, particularly if it was on an old beater that burned oil... |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-11-07 10:27 |
| #3 I guess this explains why I can't get elected.... |
| Posted by: Carbon Monoxide 2008-11-07 09:53 |
| #2 "an understanding that experienced judges weren't challenged" Simple: Dems changed the rules to grab power. Now the Dems will go back to asking the old tradition be followed. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-11-07 03:22 |
| #1 Too much smoke in here to see the fire. Why were tese incumbent judges fired? I don't buy the funny name theory. If that was the reason, why did they get elected in the first place? It sort of hints that it was a Democrat sweep. If so, why not be more fortright about it? |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-11-07 02:35 |