Although there are five candidates running for the open seat on the Texas 2nd Court of Appeals, located in Fort Worth, if one of them is able to garner over 50% of the vote in the March 1, 2016 Republican Primary, that person will have earned the nomination, and will be on the ballot in the November general election. If there is no clear winner on March 1, there will be a runoff election for the two candidates that received the most votes.
The Second Court of Appeals is composed of seven Justices and has jurisdiction over appeals from district and county courts in twelve North Central Texas counties. Those counties are: Archer, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Hood, Jack, Montague, Parker, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise and Young. Cases include civil appeals in which the amount of the trial court’s judgment exceeds $250, exclusive of costs and interest, and all criminal appeals except appeals from cases in which the death penalty has been imposed, which are appealed directly to the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Court also has jurisdiction over original proceedings, such as writs of mandamus, injunction, prohibition, and habeas corpus, arising from cases in the twelve counties it serves.
One of the candidates is William “Andy” Porter, who is authorized to practice in all Texas courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the 5th Circuit, and the Eastern District of Texas. His experience includes Appellate Prosecutor in Tarrant County. Mr. Porter has handled hundreds of appellate cases, from misdemeanors to capital murder. In addition, he is a former staff attorney in the 6th Court of Appeals, and a frequent speaker on state and federal appellate law.
In the video below, Mr. Porter provides some background information and answers questions about the court’s relevance in the justice system in Texas.
This article, with video, along with other GOP candidates, will also be available for voters to see on the Denton County Republican Party website: www.dentongop.org.
Bob Weir is a long-time Flower Mound resident and former local newspaper editor.
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