Ray Wheless
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Ray Wheless
Party
Republican
Election Year
2016
Election
Primary
Race
Judge, Court of Crim. Appeals, Place 2
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Texas Law School, Austin, Texas, JD, 1979
University of California at San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, BBA Business, 1976
Victorville Junior College, Victorville, CA, AA, 1975
WORK & MILITARY
United States Air Force, Staff Sergeant (E-5), Four
AFFILIATIONS
Custer Road United Methodist Church, Member, Collin County Conservative Republicans
Member, Plano Metro Rotary Club, President
Texas Association of Drug Court Professionals, President Elect, Golden Corridor Republican Women Club
Associate Member, Village Republican Women Club, Associate Member
Texas Eagle Forum, Member, Texas State Rifle Association
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
District Judge, Six
County Court at Law Judge, Nine
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
District Attorney, 1990
District Attorney, 1986
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (3)
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
Texas Home School Coalition
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Texas Home School Coalition
Kelly Shackelford, Liberty Institute
Grassroots America We the People - Tyler
Senator Van Taylor
Senator Bob Hall
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (6)
Eagle Forum
Ken Paxton
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations
Matt Shaheen
Republican Women's Organizations
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
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 Agree
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, Voters, Constitution, Congress and Supreme Court
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
James Madison said "men are not angels" and that ambition needs to check ambition. Having separate branches of government where one branch seeks power acts as a limit on other branches in their search for power.
What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
In interpreting statutes, the plain language of the statute must be followed. If there is an ambiguous section, the entire statute should be examined to resolve the ambiguity. If that fails to resolve the ambiguity, then legislative history may be used to resolve the ambiguity for that section, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that the legislative intent of the statute is upheld.
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?
The Declaration of Independence does not actually give anybody any rights, it just states that God gave people rights that cannot be taken away, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration also states that if people are unhappy with their government, they are free to get rid of it, like the founding fathers did in the Revolutionary War. The first part of the Declaration is basically the introduction, where they are not only stating our rights, but also giving logical justification for wanting independence. The second part is our list of grievances for King George III of England. The last part brings the colonies together and actually does the part of declaring independence from England.
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?
Justice Scalia
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith. As a Christian, I try to walk closely with God. I believe in the Apostles Creed as recited in my church: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting," I believe that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in every courtroom and outside every courthouse. I believe in school prayer.
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.
As a lawyer, I have stood up for citizen's Constitutional rights. As a judge, I have done the same. There are published appellate opinions where I argued in favor of following the Constitution rather than judge made or statutory exceptions to it. As a judge, I have spoken out about unreasonable fees of approximately $2 million dollars for the special prosecutors in Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton's criminal case pending in Collin County.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
ray@judgeraywheless.com 214-403-5770
Additional comment from candidate:
I am the most experienced candidate, the most qualified candidate and the candidate with the best chance of defeating the Democrat incumbent in the general election. Texans expect and are entitled to ethical, fair, and hard working judges. I hope to earn your vote. Please visit my website: www.judgeraywheless.com God Bless Texas and the U.S.A.
