Free Republic

The race for Place 5 on the Texas Supreme Court includes an unusual twist: the incumbent is playing the role of the outsider. Justice Steven Wayne Smith is facing Paul Green, a well-funded challenger from San Antonio, in the Republican primary. Smith, 42, won a seat on the state's highest court in November 2002 without any prior judicial experience or hefty campaign contributions from major law firms. In the process, he irked Gov. Rick Perry by defeating the governor's Republican appointee to the bench, Xavier Rodriguez. History seems to be repeating itself this year as Smith takes on Green, 51,...

Justice Smith Responds to Perry Interference in Texas Supreme Court Race Austin, TX - Governor Perry formally endorsed Justice Paul Green today at a press conference held in San Antonio at the Bexar County Republican Party Headquarters at 1:45 p.m. I. In response, Texas Supreme Court Justice Steven Wayne Smith said: "I am not surprised that Governor Perry has endorsed my opponent. Perry's office recruited Green to run against me and Perry's associates have been openly running Green's campaign. "The Governor's endorsement is simply a case of 'sour grapes.' He remains upset that I defeated Xavier Rodriguez, Perry's appointee to...

Despite opposition from some GOP stalwarts, Steven Wayne Smith says he remains best for the job. From a distance, it would seem that Steven Wayne Smith should be safely nestled in his seat on the Texas Supreme Court. He is a Republican incumbent in a state firmly controlled by the party, an avowed conservative sitting alongside eight other GOP justices whose philosophies fall mere shades apart on the political spectrum. But Smith has worn a target on his back since he upset Gov. Rick Perry's hand-picked favorite for the court in 2002. In his brief tenure, Smith has never been...

Other officeholders faring better going into primaries, financial reports show. Steven Wayne Smith was something of an unwelcome guest at the Republicans' party when he first won election to the Texas Supreme Court in 2002. Now, campaign finance reports show that political action committees for many of the state's largest law firms and big-money GOP donors appear eager to defeat the quixotic justice in next month's primary, which will probably determine who wins Smith's current seat because no Democrat has filed for the November general election. The high court contest is the most high-profile in a year of down-ballot races...