Lesli Fitzpatrick
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile*
Originalist
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Lesli Fitzpatrick
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary
Race
Court of Criminal Appeals 3
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
South Texas College of Law, Houston, Juris Doctorate, 1997-2000
Baylor University, Waco, Master of Arts, Sociology, 1995-1997
University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Odessa, Bachelor of Arts, Major Sociology, Minor Business Management, 1992-1994
WORK & MILITARY
N/A
AFFILIATIONS
Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, Collaborative Council Member, 2018-
Texas Bar College, Fellow, 2011-
Northwest Austin Republican Women, Regular Member and former Associate Member, 2016-
Austin Bar Association, Member, 2023-
State Bar of Texas, Member, 2001-
Texas Federation of Republican Women, Member, 2003-
National Federation of Republican Women, Member, 2003-
Texas Association of Specialty Courts, Board Member, 2018-2019
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Williamson County Precinct Chair, Pct 146, 2013-2020
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Judge for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, 2025-
Justice for the Texas Third Court of Appeals, Place 4, 2021-2022
Judge for the Williamson County Court at Law, No. 2, 2015-2016
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (10)
*Young Conservatives of Texas
*Pete Flores
*Charles Schwertner
*Terry Wilson
*Ben Bumgarner
LIBERAL (1)
Houston Police Officers Union PAC
OTHER (6)
*C Club of Houston
Texas Municipal Police Association TMPA
Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas CLEAT PAC
*San Antonio Police Officers' Association
*Houston Police Organization of Spanish Speaking Officers
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (30)
Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas or CLEAT
Law Enforcement PAC
2025-
Texas Municipal Police Association or TMPA
Law Enforcement PAC
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (8)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2025)
Republican Womens Organizations (2025)
State Republican Party Organizations (2025)
Greg Abbott (2024)
Charles Schwertner (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)
Republican Womens Organizations (2022)
State Republican Party Organizations (2020)
OTHER INFORMATION
Lesli Fitzpatrick's 11/17/2025 interview with The Saturday Menudo Club.
Lesli Fitzpatrick shared to her Facebook page Isaiah 9:6 along with Philippians 4:13 and said, “As a public servant, I am glad that the state government rests on Jesus.”
Lesli Fitzpatrick stated, “I’m a devout Christian, was raised in the Bible belt, and those are the kinds of values that I will bring to this bench.”
On her campaign website, Fitzpatrick describes her judicial philosophy as conservative, textualist, and originalist, and states her opposition to judicial activism. She explains:
“As your candidate for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, I believe firmly in a conservative judicial philosophy that is rooted to the Constitution, respect for the rule of law, and judicial restraint. The role of a judge is not to make law, but to apply it as written and intended by the people and their elected representatives. In criminal cases, this means upholding the rights guaranteed to both victims and defendants, interpreting statutes according to their plain meaning, and respecting lawful decisions made by juries and trial courts unless clear legal error demands correction. I reject judicial activism and believe courts should not expand or invent rights beyond those clearly established in the Constitution or statute.”
Lesli Fitzpatrick's campaign website states the role of the judiciary as impartial and limited:
“Public safety, due process, and equal justice under the law must guide our work. I am committed to ensuring fair, consistent, and principled decisions that reflect the limited and impartial role of the judiciary in our constitutional system.”
Fitzpatrick is a member of the Collaborative Council of the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, an advisory body composed of judges, lawyers, law-enforcement officials, advocates, agency leaders, and other stakeholders who assist the Commission on mental health and justice system issues.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Was Dobbs v. Jackson rightly decided according to the text of the Constitution? Please explain. (Holding: In Dobbs, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the federal constitution does not confer a right to abortion.)
Yes. There was never a constitutional right to abortion.
Does the federal Constitution support the right to physician assisted suicide? Please explain in light of Washington v. Glucksberg (1997).
I think that this decision is also outside of the scope of the constitution.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
How do you view the judiciary’s role in matters of abortion regulation following Dobbs?
I think that this is a matter for each state to decide.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Do you believe religious liberty is at risk in the United States. If so, what is the judiciary's proper role in addressing this issue?
Yes. I think Christians are being persecuted and being denied the right to practice freedom of religion as the founders intended.
Does the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment require government to be strictly secular or does it allow for the nation's religious heritage?
I think the Establishment Clause allows for the nation's religious heritage. I think people have forgotten or not been taught our religious heritage.
Was Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission rightly decided according to the text of the Constitution? Please explain. (Holding: The U.S. Supreme Court held tha the state may not show religious hostility when enforcing anti-discrimination laws against a business owner.)
I think it was rightly decided. I think everyone has a fundamental right to choose how to practice their freedom of religion.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a protestant having been raised predominantly southern Baptist from childhood. Today I would say I am a student of the Bible, the living word of God.
What is your understanding of parental rights under the Constitution regarding the upbringing of children, particularly regarding choices about education and sexual identity?
I think that parents should be allowed to rear their children as they see fit and that government needs to stay out of the business of child rearing.
Is gender identity a protected class under the Constitution? Please explain the constitutional basis for your view.
Gender is a protected class under the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. There is a legal controversy as to whether it actually applies to gender identity.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No.
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2016 Republican Primary 2016 General Election 2018 Republican Primary 2018 General Election 2020 Republican Primary 2020 General Election 2022 Republican Primary 2022 General Election 2024 Republican Primary 2024 General Election
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
Describe your judicial philosophy.
I am an originalist and textualist.
Do you believe judges should primarily apply the law according to its original public meaning, or do you believe the law evolves over time to reflect contemporary values?
I think the law should be applied according to its original meaning.
Which current or past U.S. Supreme Court justice best reflects your judicial philosophy?
I would say Justice Antonin Scalia.
Was Obergefell v. Hodges rightly decided according to the text of the Constitution? Please explain. (Holding: The U.S. Supreme Court held Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses create a right for same-sex couples to marry.)
No. I hope it is eventually overturned like Roe v. Wade was after fifty years of bad law.
A. How should a judge approach a case where the constitutional or statutory text is clear on its face? B. Conversely, how should a judge proceed when the text is ambiguous or silent on a disputed issue?
I think a judge should follow the law if it is clear. If it is not clear, I do not think a judge should write law.
What is your view of judicial restraint versus judicial activism? How do you define each?
I think a judge should always exercise judicial restraint and stay in their lane which is the judicial branch of government. I think judicial activism is overreaching and commingling with the legislative branch of government.
What is the proper role of a judge?
Since I am running for a criminal appellate judge position, I will defer to this type of judge's role in this answer. A criminal appellate judge reviews criminal cases that have already been decided in lower courts to ensure that the law was applied correctly and that proper procedures were followed. A criminal appellate judge focuses on legal errors that may have occurred during the original criminal trial or criminal hearing.
When applying or interpreting the text of a statute or constitutional provision, is it ever proper for a judge to consider present day public opinion or consequences?
No.
If precedent departs from the Constitution’s text or original meaning, should a judge follow it or correct the error? Please explain.
If the precedent was incorrect, like in Roe v. Wade, the error needed to be corrected. I would take it on a case-by-case basis in my review of precedent cases.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
The burden of proof in a criminal case is generally that the state must provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Some say the reason the burden of proof is so high is because we greatly value ensuring that the innocent are not unjustly imprisoned. Please comment on this topic.
I currently work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice which is the state agency responsible for housing prisoners in the State of Texas. I have seen several instances where a Defendant was wrongly imprisoned and was eventually acquitted of the crime they were convicted and sentenced to prison. I think that over all our legal system gets it right most of the time. The burden of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt has assisted in this statistic.
When reviewing wrongful conviction claims, what role, if any, should judges play in determining remedies?
The State of Texas currently compensates a prisoner wrongly convicted at a rate of $80,000 per year. I don't know if there is any other remedy that would be appropriate for the judiciary to mete out. You cannot give a person back the time they were wrongly incarcerated, and I think $80,000 a year is a fair monetary remedy.
2ND AMENDMENT
What is your understanding of the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms?
As a person that is licensed to carry a weapon, I understand a lot about the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment helps to ensure that the First Amendment remains intact. Texas is a Second Amendment state. Therefore, the government, especially the judiciary, may not infringe on one's right to keep and bear arms.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Which branch of government do you believe was intended to wield the most authority?
None of them. They were intended to be co-equal branches.
