Scott Walker
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Originalist
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Scott Walker
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
Judge, Court of Crim. Appeals, Place 5
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
Baylor Law School, Waco, Doctorate, 1997
Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Bachelor, 1991
N/A
WORK & MILITARY
N/A
AFFILIATIONS
The Oaks Fellowship, Member, The Republican Party of Texas
Member, The Salvation Army, Contributor
Soul's Harbor, Contributor, St. Jude Children's Hospital
Contributor, Texas Baptist Home for Children, Contributor
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 5, Five
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
N/A
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
OTHER (1)
Texas Alliance for Life PAC (TAL)
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Endorsements for my previous election are listed on my Facebook page.
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Republican Women's Organizations (2021)
State Republican Party Organizations (2016)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Republican Women's Organizations (2016)
OTHER INFORMATION
Judge Walker was elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2016. Source
Judge Walker signed court opinions that include the following quotes:
"Under our usual rules of statutory construction, we must give the statute’s text its plain meaning, read the words in context, and construe them according to rules of grammar and common usage." Source
"[W]e necessarily focus our attention on the literal text of the statute in question and attempt to discern the fair, objective meaning of the text at the time of its enactment." Source
"Legislative intent isn’t the law, but discerning legislative intent isn’t the end goal, either. The end goal is interpreting the text of the statute...the legislative history behind the passage of the Michael Morton Act does not provide definitive support for any particular construction beyond adopting the ordinary meaning of the text." Source
Judge Walker's ruling in State v. Stephens (2021) held that a law enabling the Attorney General to prosecute election law violations infringed on the separation of powers. Source
QUESTIONNAIRE
VALUES
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I strongly agree, as long as we agree that in this context Judeo-Christian values is defined as Godly values based on New and Old Testament teachings.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My wife and I are Christians who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. As such, we try to do two Bible studies each day and then have prayer time together. I believe that studying and learning God's Word is paramount. My spiritual beliefs are just what the Bible teaches: That God created the heavens and Earth, and everything contained therein; that His Son, Jesus, came to Earth and was born of a virgin through immaculate conception; that after 33 years of ministry Jesus was then crucified for our sins and was resurrected; that when one believes in Jesus as the Son of God, places his or her trust and faith in Him, and repents of his or her sins, he or she becomes a Christian and is forgiven of all sins; and that after a Christian dies he or she will go to Heaven to spend eternity with Him.
What types of pro bono work have you done?
As an attorney I represented a number of individuals with legal issues on a pro bono basis throughout my career. Most of those cases were criminal law cases, while some were veteran's disability cases and various other types of cases.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No.
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I received my law degree from Baylor Law School and, prior to being elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals, over 90 percent of my law practice was in the area of criminal law and criminal appeals. That, and five years of experience as a judge at the Court of Criminal Appeals makes me uniquely qualified to be a judge at the Court of Criminal Appeals.
Why should the voters choose you?
I have a strong commitment to conservative values, and there is no other candidate in this race that has the experience or qualifications that I possess.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
Justices should not interpret the federal and state constitutions as living documents, but should use a textualist and originalist approach to interpretation.
Strongly Agree
What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
Legislative history should be used to help interpret ambiguous terms or phrases in a statute. The process used to do so is done for the purpose of determining what the legislature meant by the ambiguous terms or phrases at the time the legislation was enacted.
Which current or past U.S. Supreme Court justice best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Justice Antonin Scalia
How should a court address the balance between public health and individual freedoms in the time of a pandemic?
Public health concerns should rarely have priority over individual freedoms, even during a pandemic. When statistics show that the disease is treatable and rarely fatal, individual freedoms like freedom to worship, freedom to make our own decisions about our health, freedom of speech, and freedom to work should not be suppressed.
In light of the case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a prohibition on sexual-orientation discrimination, which justice’s opinion most closely aligns with your own opinion?
Justice Samuel Alito's dissent.
What role (if any) does a judge have in maintaining the separation of church and state?
A trial judge has very little latitude. His or her job is to follow the laws of the State and the United States. He or she should not rule in ways that are contrary to law. The trial judge should also conduct the business of his or her court according to law. However, the trial judge also has a duty to follow the U.S. and Texas Constitutions and the Bill of Rights. He or she should keep these at the forefront of decision making.
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
When should a judge overturn past court decisions?
Texas Appellate court judges have the authority to overturn past court decisions. Doing so is warranted when the court decision at issue violates The United State Constitution, The Texas Constitution, or the Bill of Rights.
How should a judge determine which rights are protected by the Constitution even though they are not specifically mentioned?
A judge should consider whether the right involved is impliedly protected under the Constitution and, if so, how strong of an implication is involved.
What legal principles should a court consider when evaluating parents’ objection to their child obtaining medical procedures or drugs designed to affirm the child’s desired gender?
The first principle to be considered is that our laws recognize that children lack the capacity to make well-reasoned, life-changing decisions. Second, children do not have the right to make certain life-changing decisions without parental consent. Third, courts should consider the laws that allow and, in some instances, require parents to protect their children and direct the moral and religious training of their children.
What principles should guide a court’s analysis of whether your state’s constitution gives terminally ill patients a right to assisted suicide?
Answering this question specifically would take many hours of research and analysis. I have not had the opportunity to do the necessary research and analysis. However, the legal principles that come to mind are laws that make intentional killing a criminal offense.
Would you describe your judicial philosophy as originalist, living constitutionalist, or something else?
I am definitely an originalist. The U. S, and Texas Constitutions should be interpreted by looking to the intent of the writers at the time of the writing.
