Judge Staci Williams is Running for Justice, Texas Supreme Court

SUPREME COURT SPOTLIGHT

Your vote in 2020 could help Judge Staci Williams make history in the State of Texas!

DEMOCRATICHANDBOOK Judge Staci Williams is Running for Justice, Texas Supreme Court in 2020 PUBLISHED BY AUBREYRTAYLORCOMMUNICATIONS - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Yes, Judge Lesley Briones is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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Yes, Judge Mike Engelhart is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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REMINDER: “Judge Staci Williams is asking for your vote on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.”

The Honorable Judge Staci Williams is seeking to become the first African American woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court. She’s seeking the Democratic nomination in the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, race for Position #7. In case you don’t know, she’s currently serving the people of Texas as the presiding judge for the 101st Civil District Court in Dallas, Texas.

Once Judge Williams has earned the Democratic Party nomination in the race for Position #7 on the Texas Supreme Court she will need your support again, in the “2020 GENERAL ELECTION” scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

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Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT Political advertising paid for by the Judge Staci Williams Campaign, Steven R Shirley, Treasurer, in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.

Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT Dear Texans:

Throughout my career, I have worked hard to develop a reputation for being a fair and dedicated judge. I am determined to apply that reputation as a member of the Texas Supreme Court.

So much of the state's most critical business and citizen's interest come before this court. The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Texas for civil matters.

Currently, all 9 Justice seats represent a Republican based mindset influencing the functions of business and the lives of people who may not share that particular mindset. For this very reason, I am asking for your support. Please elect me as your experienced, fair and balanced voice in the Texas Supreme Court.

Sincerely,

Judge Staci Williams 2020 Democratic Candidate for Justice, Texas Supreme Court

www.judgestaci.com

VOTE EARLY: February 18th - 28th, 2020 ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, March 3, 2020

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www.judgestaci.com

Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT

Meet Judge Staci

Judge Staci Williams is the Presiding Judge of the 101st District Court in Dallas, Texas. She was sworn in as Judge of the 101st District Court on January 2, 2015 and re-elected for a second term on November 6, 2018. The 101st District Court handles primarily commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, real estate, oil and gas and consumer disputes. Judge Williams seeks to ensure that the 101st District Court is the “Court of Choice” for all parties, attorneys and citizens. She is dedicated to improving the judicial process with fairness and efficiency.

In September 2015, Judge Williams created the Citizens’ Civil Academy (“CCA”) to educate Dallas County citizens about the civil court system. The CCA WILLIAMS explores the types of cases Political advertising paid for by the Judge Staci Williams Campaign, Steven R Shirley, Treasheard in the civil courts and what urer, in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act. happens to a case from the time the case is filed until it is disposed. CCA’s goal is to provide citizens with a better understanding not only of the civil court system but also the inner workings of the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building.

Program participants range in age from 6 to 92 and represents all segments of society. Over 350 citizens have graduated from the Citizens’ Civil Academy.

STACI JUDGE

Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT

The Citizens’ Civil Academy is free to participants (costs are absorbed by Judge Williams’ campaign funds) and is the only judicial outreach program whose goal is to educate the public. CCA is offered twice a year, in the spring and fall.

The CCA has been held in the following locations throughout the Dallas County area: • Fall 2015- George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building • Spring 2016- West Dallas Community Church • Fall 2016- Highland Hills Library • Spring 2017- Cooper Hotel and Conference Center • Fall 2017- Museum of International Cultures and the Grauwyler Park Branch Library • Summer 2018-White Rock Hills Branch Library, J. Erik Johnson Central Library and the Polk Wisdom Branch Library • Spring 2019- Collin County Housing Authority • Fall 2019- New Millennium Bible Fellowship Praise Center and Dallas Masjid Al Islam’s Beacon of Light Community Center Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Williams had over 10 years judicial experience and 27 years of legal experience including: • Judicial Clerkship in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• In-house counsel positions with corporations in the defense, telecommunications and retail

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It Matters...

POWERFUL DECISIONS ARE MADE HERE The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Texas for civil matters.

industries • Trial Attorney and Administrative Judge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission • Arbitrator for NASD/FINRA, U.S. Postal Service, Dallas Area Rapid Transit “DART”, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service “FMCS”, and the Washington Metropolitan Airport Board • Counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee • Municipal Court Judge, City of Dallas • Private practice handling employment, commercial, business, personal injury, and criminal matters.

Judge Williams is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, Smith College in Northampton, MA where she a participated in the American Economics’ Association’s Summer Program at Yale University, and The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, where she and her twin sister, Traci, were the first African -American graduates.

Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT

Judge Williams has been steadfastly involved in and supportive of the Dallas County community: She has served on the Board of Trustees for The Hockaday School, Board of Directors for Dispute Mediation Service, Inc., Board of Directors for S.A.A.V.E.D., Community Advisory Board for North Texas Volunteer Center, and as Chair/Co-Chair and/or member of various committees for the Dallas Bar Association and the J.L. Turner Legal Association. She regularly supports the Mid-Cities, Trinity, and Dallas Chapter of the Links, Inc. and their STEM programs, AIDS WALK South Dallas, African American Museum (Dallas) as well as the scholarship foundations of the J.L. Turner Legal Association, the Hispanic Bar Association and the

Judge Staci Williams (sixth from right) with the Coalition of Americans for Political and Social Awareness

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POWERFUL DECISIONS ARE MADE HERE The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Texas for civil matters.

Asian Pacific Bar Association. She is a former member of the Dallas Chapter of The LINKS, Inc. and the Dallas Junior League.

Judge Williams believes that being involved in the community is more than going to meetings.

Instead of having a staff Thanksgiving Dinner, Judge, Williams and the 101st District Court for the last three years have donated 101 cans of food to the North Texas Food Bank. In 2016, they donated 101 cans of Progresso Soup; in 2017, they donated 101 cans of Wolf Brand Chili; and, in 2018, they donated 101 cans of mixed fruit. When Hurricane Harvey evacuees came to Dallas, Judge Williams and her court donated 202 pairs of flip flops for individuals taking showers.

It Matters...

POWERFUL DECISIONS ARE MADE HERE The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Texas for civil matters.

ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS

Composed of the chief justice and eight justices, the Supreme Court of Texas is the court of last resort for civil matters in the state. The Supreme Court is in Austin, immediately northwest of the state Capitol.

Supreme Court justices are elected to staggered sixyear terms in statewide elections. When a vacancy arises the governor may appoint a Justice, subject to Senate confirmation, to serve the remainder of an unexpired term until the next general election. Justices must be at least 35 years old, a citizen of Texas, licensed to practice law in Texas and must have practiced law (or have been a lawyer and a judge of a court of record together) for at least ten years (see Texas Constitution, Art. 5, Sec. 2).

By statute the Court has administrative control over the State Bar of Texas. Tex. Gov't Code § 81.011. The Court is also the sole authority for licensing attorneys in Texas and appoints the members of the Board of Law Examiners, which administers the Texas bar examination. Tex. Gov't Code §§ 82.00, 82.004.

The Court promulgates the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Texas Rules of Evidence and other rules and standards.

For more info, visit: www.txcourts.gov

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TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 1

Nathan L. Hecht is the 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He has been elected to the Court six times, first in 1988 as a Justice, and most recently in 2014 as Chief Justice. He is the longest-serving Member of the Court in Texas history and the longest-tenured Texas judge in active service.

Throughout his service on the Court, he has overseen revisions to the rules of administration, practice, and procedure in Texas courts, and was appointed by the Chief Justice of Justice the United States to the federal Hecht Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. He is also active in the Court's efforts to assure that Texans living below the poverty level, as well as others with limited means, have access to basic civil legal services.

Chief Justice Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and was elected to the court of appeals in 1986. Before taking the bench, he was a partner in the Locke firm in Dallas. His current term ends December 31, 2020.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 2

Justice Jimmy Blacklock was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in January 2018 by Governor Greg Abbott. Before that, Jimmy served as Governor Abbott’s General Counsel and in the Attorney General’s Office under thenAG Abbott. While at the AG’s Office, he handled appeals and trials of constitutional cases in state and federal court involving matters such as federalism, religious liberty, and the separation of powers. As Deputy Attorney General for Legal

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Counsel, he oversaw the Open Records and Opinions divisions of the AG’s Office. Earlier in his career, Jimmy was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and he worked in private practice in Houston and Austin.

Justice He clerked for Judge Jerry Smith on the U.S. Court of ApBlacklock peals for the 5th Circuit after graduating from U.T.-Austin (B.A., Plan II/History) and Yale Law School. He was born in Houston and now lives in Austin with his wife and three daughters.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 3

Debra H. Lehrmann was appointed to the Court by Governor Rick Perry on June 21, 2010.

Before her appointment, she served as the District Judge of the 360th District Court in Fort Worth, Texas, and served as a family law judge in Tarrant County for 22 years. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Justice Lehrmann graduated from the University of Texas in 1979 and the University of Texas School of Law in 1982.

Prior to her appointment to the bench, she practiced law Justice with the Fort Worth law firm of Lehrmann Law, Snakard & Gambill. She also worked as the lead attorney and director of the Enforcement Division of the Tarrant County Domestic Relations Office.

In 1990, she was recognized as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Tarrant County.

In 2005, Justice Lehrmann was appointed by

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Governor Perry to serve as a commissioner on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and previously served as the chair of the drafting committee on the Uniform Relocation Act. She is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, is a past president of the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, is a master member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, served on the Advisory Board of Tarrant County Dispute Resolution Services, is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation, and is a charter member of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation.

Justice Lehrmann was re-elected in 2016, for a term that will expire on December 31, 2022.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 4

Justice John Devine was elected to the Supreme Court of Texas in November 2012. He previously served for seven years as judge of the 190th state district court in Harris County and for nine years as an appointed special judge for the Harris County justice of the peace courts.

A native of Indiana, Justice Devine attended Ball State University, graduating in 1980 with a B.S. degree in business administration and Marketing. Following graduation, Justice Devine became a Texan and Justice entered the corporate world of Devine Shell Oil Co. in Houston as an analyst and later worked in various corporate and project-oriented positions.

While at Shell, he was accepted by South Texas College of Law, graduating with a juris doctorate in 1986. Justice Devine remained with Shell until 1987. The next year Devine went to work for

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Brown & Root Inc, and again contributed to numerous corporate as well as major international and domestic industrial construction projects.

Justice Devine was elected in 1995 and re-elected in 1998 to the district court. During his tenure, Devine tried nearly 350 jury trials and presided over more than 500 bench trials.

In 1998 he was voted well qualified by the Houston Bar Association. Justice Devine reduced his court's case backlog by more than 40 percent during his two terms. Devine was awarded the title of "Texas Size Hero" by Focus on the Family magazine.

Justice Devine was elected in 2012, effective January 1, 2013. His current term expires at the end of 2018.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 5

Justice Green was elected to the Supreme Court of Texas in 2004. Before joining the Court, he served for 10 years as a Justice on the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio.

A native of San Antonio, Justice Green received his business degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1977. After law school, Justice Green, a third-generation lawyer, joined his father in a mid-sized litigation practice and remained there for 17 years until he was elected to the Court of Appeals in 1994.

Justice During his career as a Green lawyer, Justice Green served as president of the San Antonio Bar Association, director of the State Bar of Texas, and as a member of the House of Dele-

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gates of the American Bar Association. He is a member of The American Law Institute and the American Judicature Society and is also a Life Fellow of the Austin, San Antonio, Texas and American Bar Foundations. Justice Green has been honored by St. Mary's University Law School as a distinguished law graduate, and as a recipient of the Rosewood Gavel Award for achievement in the judiciary.

Justice Green was re-elected in 2016, and his current term ends on December 31, 2022.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 6

Justice Jane Bland was appointed to the Court by Gov. Greg Abbott in August 2019 and sworn in September 11. Before her appointment to the Court she served as justice on the First Court of Appeals in Houston for 15 years after six years as a Harris County District Court judge.

Justice Bland is board-certified in civil appellate law and civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She is a member of the American Law Institute and chairs the OverJustice sight Committee for the Texas Bland Pattern Jury Charges. She is a member of the Texas Supreme Court’s Rules Advisory Committee.

Justice Bland is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and of the University of Texas School of Law. After law school graduation, she clerked for Judge Thomas Gibbs Gee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In 2006 she served by special appointment on the Texas Supreme Court and wrote the majority opinion in Hyundai v. Vasquez and in

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2010 received the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence by the National Center for State Courts.

Justice Bland is married to Doug Bland, a Houston lawyer. They have two children: Daniel, a second-year medical student, and Sarah, a senior in college studying computer science and electrical engineering.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 7

Jeffrey S. Boyd joined the Court on December 3, 2012, appointed by Governor Rick Perry to fill Justice Dale Wainwright's unexpired term. Wainwright resigned September 30th. Justice Boyd was the governor's chief of staff since September 2011. Before that he was Gov. Perry's general counsel.

Boyd is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and earned his law degree summa cum laude from Pepperdine University, where he graduated second in his law school class. After graduation he clerked for Judge Thomas M. Reavley on the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Justice He spent 15 years with ThompBoyd son & Knight L.L.P. in two stints, leaving first in 2000 to join thenTexas Attorney General John Cornyn as deputy attorney general for general litigation and continuing with Attorney General Greg Abbott. He rejoined Thompson & Knight as senior partner in 2003.

In January 2011 he left Thompson & Knight to join the Governor's Office as general counsel.

Justice Boyd was named a Texas Super Lawyer for government practice in 2004 and in 20062010. He has been a Supreme Court Advisory Committee member since 2003.

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He has served as board president and director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, as chair and director of Goodwill Industries of Central Texas and as a director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. He is serving a one-year term as president of the American Inns of Court, Robert W. Calvert Inn. Before he went to law school, Boyd worked as youth and family minister of the Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin and was on the Brentwood Christian School board from 1994 to 2000.

He and his wife, Jackie, have twin daughters, Hanna and Abbie, and a son, Carter.

Justice Boyd was re-elected on November 4, 2014, for a term that began on January 1, 2015, and will expire on December 31, 2020.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 8

Brett Busby was appointed to the Court by Governor Greg Abbott in February 2019 and confirmed unanimously by the Texas Senate. An experienced appellate litigator, Justice Busby was a partner at the Bracewell firm in Houston and served on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals for six years before joining the Supreme Court.

Justice Busby is a seventhgeneration Texan, third-generation Eagle Scout, and life-long violinist who grew up in Amarillo and Austin. After graduating with high honors from Duke University and Columbia Law Justice School, he served as a law Busby clerk to Justices Byron R. White (Ret.) and John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court, and to Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.

In private practice, Busby represented plain-

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tiffs and defendants in a wide variety of appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Texas, and federal and state appellate courts.

Super Lawyers Magazine named him one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas in 2012, and Chambers and Partners recognized him as a leading Texas appellate lawyer. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law and is a former adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School, where he helped teach the U.S. Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.

Justice Busby is dedicated to improving the justice system and the legal profession. His fellow Texas appellate lawyers recently elected him as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section. He works closely with the Texas Access to Justice Commission, which helps assure that Texans with limited means have access to basic civil legal services. He previously served on the Texas Multi-District Litigation Panel and chaired the State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges (Business, Consumer, Insurance, and Employment). Busby is also active in his community: he is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum and has served on the boards of the Post Oak School and the Houston Symphony (where he chaired the Artistic Affairs Committee and the Music Director Selection Committee).

Justice Busby and his wife, Erin, met while clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court. They have two children.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT — Place 9

Justice Eva Guzman has served at three levels of the Texas judiciary. In 2009 she was appointed to serve on the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Rick Perry. She was elected to a full term in November 2010, when she became the first Hispanic woman elected to state-

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wide office in Texas. Before her appointment, Justice Guzman served for almost a decade on the Houston-based Fourteenth Court of Appeals. She began her judicial service on the 309th District Court in Harris County, after an appointment by then-Governor George W. Bush. Now in her 15th year on the bench, Justice Guzman has consistently received high marks in judicial evaluation polls.

Justice Guzman is the Justice Court's liaison to the CommisGuzman sion on Judicial Conduct, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the Texas Access to Justice Commission, responsible for oversight and funding of the state's legal-assistance programs for the poor. She also is Chair of the Supreme Court's Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.

Justice Guzman's devotion to the law and her community has been recognized by national, state and local organizations. She is a 2014 recipient of the Women and the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas Sara T. Hughes Lawyers of Achievement Award and is a 2014 recipient of the of the Association of Women Attorneys' "Premier Women in the Law Modern Trailblazer" award. Her alma mater, South Texas College of Law, recently recognized Justice Guzman's significant career accomplishments and community leadership with a 2014 Alumni Impact Award. The National Hispanic Bar Association honored Justice Guzman with a 2009 Latina Judge of the Year Award. Justice Guzman holds Pathfinder Awards from both the Texas Women Lawyers and the Travis County Women Lawyers Association and was an early recipient of the Texas Executive Women Women on the MoveÂŽ award.

Justice Guzman was re-elected in 2016, and her current term expires on December 31, 2022.

TEX Elect

WILLIAMS Judge STACI

FOR JUSTICE, TEXAS SUPREME COURT Dear Texans:

Currently, all 9 Justice seats represent a Republican based mindset influencing the functions of business and the lives of people who may not share that particular mindset. For this very reason, I am asking for your support. Please elect me as your experienced, fair and balanced voice in the Texas Supreme Court.

Sincerely,

Judge Staci Williams 2020 Democratic Candidate for Justice, Texas Supreme Court

www.judgestaci.com

VOTE EARLY: February 18th - 28th, 2020 ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, March 3, 2020

XAS I’M A LIFE-LONG DEMOCRAT

Political advertising paid for by the Judge Staci Williams Campaign, Steven R Shirley, Treasurer, in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.

Yes, Judge Julia Maldonado is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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Yes, Judge Robert Johnson is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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Yes, Judge Joe Stephens is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

Yes, Judge Fredericka Phillips is a Democrat who values “OUR”vote, prayers and support.

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Yes, Judge Kyle Carter is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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Yes, Judge Genesis Draper is a Democrat who values “OUR” vote, prayers and support.

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