Hmm, so it looks like Harris County has a completely new set of judges. What are your thoughts on this? A lot of attention is being paid to Pres election (and rightfully so), but these judicial races also have a lot of impact. It seems like whoever was a Republican just got screwed due to their party affiliation: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6095620.html Democrats won all but four of the more than two dozen Harris County district benches up for grabs. Incumbent civil judges Sharon McCally and Patricia Kerrigan kept their seats, as did judge Mark Kent Ellis and Joseph "Tad" Halbach. The margin of victory in all races was razor thin There are 25 Republican incumbents and one open bench for these 16 civil benches, nine criminal benches and one family law bench. 11TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Republican Mark Davidson, on the bench since 1989, lost to Democrat civil lawyer Mike Miller. 55TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Republican Jeff Shadwick, appointed in December 2007, was beaten by challenger Democrat Dion Ramos. 61ST DISTRICT COURT Three-term incumbent Republican John Donovan was unseated by Democrat lawyer Alfred "Al" Bennett. 80TH DISTRICT COURT First-term incumbent Republican Lynn Bradshaw-Hull lost to Democratic lawyer Larry Weiman. 125TH DISTRICT COURT Two-term incumbent Republican John Coselli was beaten by Democrat lawyer Kyle Carter. 127TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Republican Sharolyn Wood, on the bench since 1985, was beaten by Democrat employment lawyer R.K. Sandill. 129TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Republican Grant Dorfman, on the bench since 2002, lost to Democrat lawyer Michael Gomez. 133RD DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Lamar McCorkle, on the bench since 1986, was beaten by Democrat Jaclanel McFarland. 151ST DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Caroline E. Baker, on the bench since 1997, was unseated by Democrat trial lawyer Mike Engelhart. 152ND DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Ken Wise, on the bench since 2002, lost to Democrat trial lawyer Robert Schaffer. 164TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Martha Hill Jamison, on the bench since 1999, was beaten by Democrat Alexandra Smoots-Hogan. 165TH DISTRICT COURT Four-term Republican incumbent Elizabeth Ray was unseated by Democrat Josefina Muniz Rendon, an associate municipal judge. 174TH DISTRICT COURT In a race with no incumbent, Republican Bill Moore, a former Harris County assistant district attorney, was beaten by Democrat former district judge Ruben Guerrero. 176TH DISTRICT COURT Five-term Republican incumbent Brian Rains lost to Democrat and longtime criminal defense lawyer Shawna L. Reagan. 177TH DISTRICT COURT First-term Republican incumbent Devon Anderson was beaten by Democrat criminal defense lawyer Kevin Fine. 178TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Republican Roger Bridgwater, appointed in 2007, was unseated by Democrat lawyer David Mendoza. 179TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Mike Wilkinson lost to Democrat criminal defense lawyer Randy Roll. 190TH DISTRICT COURT Incumbent Patricia Kerrigan, appointed in 2007, narrowly defeated Democrat trial lawyer Andres Pereira. 215TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Levi Benton, on the bench since 1999, lost to Democrat municipal court judge Steven E. Kirkland. 333RD DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Joseph "Tad" Halbach, appointed in 1995, narrowly edged Democrat lawyer Goodwille Pierre. 334TH DISTRICT COURT First-term incumbent Republican Sharon McCally beat Democrat civil lawyer Ashish Mahendru. 337TH DISTRICT COURT Two-term Republican incumbent Don Stricklin lost to Democrat challenger Herb Ritchie. 338TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Brock Thomas, appointed to the bench in 2002, was beaten by Democrat criminal defense lawyer Hazel B. Jones. 339TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent Caprice Cosper, appointed to the bench in 2002, lost to Democrat municipal court judge Maria T. Jackson. 351ST DISTRICT COURT Three-term GOP incumbent Mark Kent Ellis beat Democrat former prosecutor Mekisha Murray. 312TH DISTRICT COURT Republican incumbent David Farr, appointed in 2007, lost to Democrat challenger Robert Hinojosa.
