Debra Lehrmann
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Debra Lehrmann
Party
Republican
Election Year
2016
Election
Primary
Race
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
University of Texas, Austin, BA, 1979
University of Texas School of Law, Austin, JD, 1982
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
United Methodist Church Colleyville, Texas Federation of Republican Women
Judicial Liaison, Fort Worth Republican Women
American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Former Chair, American Law Institute
Uniform Laws Commission, Commissioner
Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts, TX, Former President, Tarrant County Bar Foundation
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Justice, TX Supreme Court, 6
Family Law Judge - Tarrant County, 22
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Texas Civil Justice League PAC
Texans for Life Coalition's LIFE PAC
Texas Alliance for Life PAC
Texas Senator Donna Campbell
Pat Carlson - former President of TX Eagle Forum
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations
Republican Women's Organizations
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (12)
Associated Builders and Contractors
Bass Family PACs
Kay Granger
Kenneth "Kim" Brimer
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Mostyn Law Firm
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Strongly Agree
Which current justice on the U.S. Supreme Court best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Scalia
Which of the following U.S. presidents best reflects your political philosophy?
Reagan
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Strongly Agree
George Washington's comment that “Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society” is still true today.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
Strongly Disagree
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
God, Constitution, Voters, Congress, Supreme Court
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
Self-interest and desire for power.
What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
The problem with using legislative history: 100 Legislators would have 100 different answers to why a statute was enacted; therefore it is subject to misuse by judges as a justification for supplanting their own personal views for those of the Legislature.
What specific text in the Declaration of Independence provides the critical basis for individual rights and the form of government guaranteed in the United States Constitution?
. . .all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
In which partisan primary election did you most recently vote (e.g. Democratic, Republican, etc.)?
Republican
The U.S. Constitution and my state constitution should be interpreted as living documents, rather than use a strict constructionist or originalist philosophy.
Strongly Disagree
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges allowing members of the same sex to marry, which justice’s opinion in that case most closely approximates your understanding of marriage?
Scalia
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My beliefs are reflected in the Gospel.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
Very Conservative
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
During my 27 years of judicial service—first as a trial judge and then on the Supreme Court—I have consistently and deliberately ruled in a manner that is in step with my conservative judicial philosophy. I strongly believe that judges should NEVER legislate from the bench and should ALWAYS rely on the Legislature’s plain language when interpreting the law. Governor Perry frequently refers to his appointees to the Court, a group with which I am proud to belong, as being unsurpassed in terms of applying the law in a conservative, methodical, deferential and scholarly way. He has commented that justices who demonstrate this type of judicial excellence should be elevated to the Supreme Court of the United States.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
Debra@JudgeDebraLehrmann.com, 512-637-7080
Additional comment from candidate:
It has been my sincere privilege to serve the citizens of our great state as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court since being appointed by Governor Perry in 2010. I am humbled by the kind words of twelve former Supreme Court Justices who stated, “As former members of the Supreme Court of Texas, we are vitally interested in a strong and respected Supreme Court. We know and admire Justice Lehrmann, and we are unanimous in our support for this talented jurist. Texans deserve to retain a justice with impeccable credentials and unwavering devotion to the administration of justice.”
