Democrat Christine Vinh Weems takes on GOP incumbent John Devine
We recommend Democrat Christine Vinh Weems over GOP incumbent John Devine in this contest for the Place 4 seat on the Texas Supreme Court.
Weems, who serves on the 281st Civil District Court in Harris County, is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury trial law and civil trial law, and she has taught trial advocacy at the University of Houston Law Center.More importantly, Weems, 48, has drawn respect from lawyers, receiving strong scores for courtroom demeanor, preparedness, timely rulings and impartiality in a recent Houston Bar Association judicial evaluation poll.
Most jurists attempt to avoid appearances of personal opinions impacting their deliberations. Devine’s religious beliefs seem to significantly influence his judicial decisions, or at the very least, uncomfortably dissolve the appearance of impartiality.
Devine also has had intemperate words for Democratic leaders in Harris County, accusing some of trying to “bastardize our election code” to steal elections. Devine has been widely criticized for missing 60% of recent Supreme Court oral arguments, raising questions about his work ethic. Ideally, the Supreme Court is about calling balls and strikes on procedure and constitutionality, but our concern is that Devine goes beyond this to embrace inappropriate political activism. Texas is owed an adherence to constitutional principles that doesn’t place politics above consistent legal reasoning based on precedents and predictable application of the law.Dallas Morning News editorials are written by the paper's Editorial Board and serve as the voice and view of the paper.
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