Judicial Selection in Texas: A Study of General Election Outcomes: 1988-2004

Authors

Billy Monroe

Volume Number

40

Issue Number

1

Abstract

Campaign financing andparty identification are generally considered to be the primary factors in determining judicial election outcomes. The existence of both the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals makes it possible to test several important hypotheses, using logistic analysis, of elections held between 1988 and 2004. The role of money can be tested, as well as controlled for by combining both courts in the same study. This study shows which variables determine who wins these judicial elections and explains why. Campaign financing and party identification remain significant, but new information is learned about the importance of demographic variables, judicial or legislative experience, and performance in the state bar poll. The article also details the existence of systematic differences between the selection processes of the two courts.

Recommended Citation

Monroe, Billy (2012) "Judicial Selection in Texas: A Study of General Election Outcomes: 1988-2004," Journal of Political Science: Vol. 40: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol40/iss1/2