Steven Wayne Smith
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Steven Wayne Smith | |
---|---|
Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas | |
In office November 2002 – January 2005 | |
Preceded by | Xavier Rodriguez |
Succeeded by | Paul W. Green |
Personal details | |
Born | Everman, Texas, U.S. | October 26, 1961
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Susan Hunter Smith |
Children | Allison and Emily Smith |
Residence(s) | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas School of Law |
Occupation | Attorney; judge |
Steven Wayne Smith (born October 26, 1961) is a Republican former
Smith served on the Texas high court from November 2002 through January 2005.
A fifth-generation Texan, Smith graduated from
After graduation, Smith worked as a bill analyst for the Texas Senate and as a staff attorney, first for the Office of the Texas Secretary of State and then for the Texas Legislative Council. He spent three years at the legislative council and worked on redistricting issues and judicial selection. There, he met his wife, the former Susan Hunter, who was also on the legal staff.[1]
"My judicial philosophy probably comes as much from working at the legislature as from anything. ... I developed a real appreciation for what goes into making public policy. The legislature is the policy-making branch. Courts should defer to the legislature, unless there's a clear constitutional reason" otherwise, said Smith.[1]
While he was on the Supreme Court, Smith authored 16 published opinions, including the court's landmark decision in Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services v. Mega Child Care.
Election history
Primary election of 1998
In 1998, Smith ran for the Republican nomination for Place 4 on the Texas Supreme Court. He opposed the then=incumbent Deborah Hankinson, who had been appointed to the body in 1997 by then-Governor George W. Bush. In the Republican primary, Smith lost to Hankinson by 59.41 to 40.58% of the vote.
Election of 2002
Smith was elected to the court in 2002 by first defeating Xavier Rodriguez, an appointee of Governor Rick Perry, in the Republican primary. Smith polled 306,730 votes (53.49%) to Rodriguez's 266,648 ballots (46.50%). Rodriguez spent $558,000, called himself a "moderate", and lost; Smith spent $9,500, called himself a "conservative", and won in an upset.
Smith defeated Democrat Margaret Mirabal in the November general election. He polled 2,331,140 votes (54.09%), to Mirabal's 1,978,081 ballots (45.90%).
The 2002 election was for the unexpired portion of a normal six-year term. The term began with the re-election of Greg Abbott to the seat in 1998. Under the Texas Constitution, after he resigned in 2001 to run for Texas attorney general, an election had to be scheduled for fall 2002 for the remaining two years of Abbott's original term. Thus, Smith had to run for re-election in 2004.
Primary election of 2004
Perry and U.S. Senator John Cornyn opposed Smith's candidacy and he eventually lost the primary to Green. Green was unopposed in the 2004 general election. Green still holds this seat on the Supreme Court.
A controversial email that Smith sent out responding to Green's attack that Smith was short on credentials may have backfired and cost Smith some support. While touting his own academic achievements at the University of Texas School of Law, Smith disparaged Green's academic achievements, namely that Green had graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, a smaller and less well-known law school. Senator John Cornyn is a St. Mary's alumnus. Dean Bill Piatt of St. Mary's blasted Smith, saying that it was inappropriate for a sitting Supreme Court justice to belittle one of the law schools in the State of Texas. Piatt widely distributed a letter that he had written to Smith to many alumni of St. Mary's and others in the legal community. Smith wrote a conciliatory response letter to Piatt, but did not publicize that letter.
Primary election of 2006
On January 3, 2006, Smith announced that he would enter the March 7 Republican primary for Place 2 on the Texas Supreme Court. He opposed Justice
In 2004, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison supported Smith's re-election, but she endorsed Willett in the 2006 race. Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, himself a former Texas Supreme Court justice, also endorsed Willett. The San Antonio Express-News endorsed Willett, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegram backed Smith. Smith lost to Willett by 4,979 votes.
Primary election of 2016
Ten years after his last defeat for the state Supreme Court, Smith entered the Republican primary for the Place 5 seat on the
In his campaign, Smith had advocated consolidating the state Supreme Court with the Court of Criminal Appeals, both of which have nine members elected statewide, to reduce the number of judges required by the state. Smith is a former general counsel to the Texas Legal Foundation. In 2016, he was the editor of www.TexasLegalGuide.com.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "State Bar of Texas: Steven Wayne Smith". texasbar.com. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services v. Mega Child Care Archived 2009-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gilbert Garcia, "Judge Harle loses the name game in appeals court race", San Antonio Express-News, March 6, 2016, p. A2
- ^ "Republican primary returns". Texas Secretary of State. March 2, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "Steve Smith". texaspatriotspac.com. Retrieved March 3, 2016.