Back in October, Steveningen had a diary about a San Antonio judge switching from the GOP to the Democratic ticket.
Judge Carlo Key is no longer alone. Another Republican judge in Texas is joining him. And this one has held statewide office for 21 years! According the Burnt Orange Report, "this means Democrats have their first incumbent, statewide officeholder since 1998."
For those of you in other states, two judges switching sides in two months may not seem like a big deal, but for the Democrats in Texas, it announces we are coming out of the wilderness. See below the fold for the press release from the Texas Democratic Party.
Go Big Blue!
TDP PRESS RELEASE
Texas Democrats Welcome Republican Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Lawrence "Larry" Meyers as he runs for the Texas Supreme Court as a Democrat
AUSTIN, TX- Today, Texas Democrats are honored and excited to welcome current Republican statewide Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Lawrence "Larry" Meyers to the party. Judge Meyers filed today to run for the Supreme Court against Jeff Brown in Place 6 as a Democrat. Meyers' party switch will make him the first statewide Democratic officeholder since 1998.
Judge Meyers was the first Republican elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992 and is its longest serving member.
"I am thrilled to welcome Judge Meyers to the Texas Democratic Party. I am even more excited to know that Judge Meyers doesn't stand alone. Every day, I hear from real voters that our party represents the strongest path forward for our state. Texas is changing and voters will continue to reject a Republican Party more focused on ideology than ideas," said Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa.
Judge Lawrence Meyers
Judge Lawrence Meyers was elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992 and previously served three years as an associate justice on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. He is the second longest serving appellate Justice in Texas. Judge Meyers has been elected four times to statewide office, and in 1998 he received over 84,000 more votes in the General Election than Greg Abbott did as a candidate for the Texas Supreme Court
He earned his B.A. in history and chemistry from Southern Methodist University in 1970 and his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1973. Meyers received his L.L.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998 and is board certified in criminal law. Following law school, Meyers served as an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County, Kansas. From 1975 to 1988, he worked in the private practice of law in Fort Worth, Texas.
Between 1975 and 1988, he practiced civil, criminal, and appellate law in Fort Worth, where he was also a substitute municipal judge for three years. Meyers is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has been an instructor and teacher at Texas Christian University. Meyers and his wife, Barbara, have two children, Kelli and Clay.
6:44 PM PT: Meet Meyers Opponent: The Republican incumbent on the Supreme Court Place 6 is an appointee from Rick Perry who clerked for Greg Abbott. Perhaps of the Tea Party persuasion.
from the office of the governor Sep 2013:
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Jeff Brown of Houston as a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas for a term to expire at the next general election.
"Jeff is an outstanding and accomplished jurist whose highest priority on the bench is preservation of the rule of law," Gov. Perry said. "Jeff is a staunch defender of the constitutional freedoms our state and our nation are founded upon and he will uphold these values with honor, dignity and integrity as a Supreme Court justice. I am pleased he will continue his lifelong commitment to public service and the people of Texas by accepting this appointment."
Brown is currently justice of the 14th Court of Appeals, a position he has held since his appointment in December 2007. He is also presiding judge of Harris County Success Through Addiction Recovery Drug Court No. 1. He is a former judge of the 55th Judicial District Court in Harris County, and a former associate attorney at Baker Botts LLP. Brown served as law clerk to Texas Supreme Court Justices Jack Hightower and Greg Abbott. He is vice chair and past president of the Houston Law Review Board of Directors, treasurer of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, and past president of the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists. He is a member of the American Law Institute, Federalist Society, State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charges Committee, LifeHouse Advisory Board, and Supreme Court of Texas Multidistrict Litigation Panel. He is also vice president of the University of Houston Law Alumni Association and a former adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center. He is an editorial board member of The Advocate, a life member and committeeman of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, past board member of Texas Lyceum and a graduate of Leadership Houston Class XVIII.
Brown received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.