My older brother Bud of Seguin, Texas is a candidate in this year’s election for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (Place 9), which is the highest Texas appellate court for criminal cases. Inasmuch as there is no Democratic Party candidate for that position, the race will probably be decided in the upcoming Republican Primary on Tuesday, March 4th.

If you’re planning on voting in the Republican primary in early voting or on March 4th, then I would appreciate it if you would consider voting for Bud and encourage your friends and family members to do the same. Bud’s campaign website is here.

Bud has over 40 years of experience as a lawyer and is about as well-qualified for the Court of Criminal Appeals as a candidate can be. Out of law school, he clerked for the Court of Criminal Appeals for a couple of years before he moved to Seguin to begin his legal career as a defense attorney, civil trial attorney, prosecutor and — most recently — as the judge of the 2nd 25th Judicial District Court based in Seguin.

Bud has received many honors, including the State Bar’s Prosecutor of the Year Award, the Jon Ben Sheppard Political Courage Award, and recently the Texas Center for the Judiciary’s Educator of the Year Award. He also received the most votes of any candidate running for the Court of Criminal Appeals this year in the State Bar of Texas’ 2014 Judicial Poll. If elected, Bud is looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the Court of Criminal Appeals as the final stage of a fine legal career.

But the best reason to vote for Bud is that he is a fair and reasonable man who understands the serious responsibility of serving on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Many lawyers who have dealt with Bud as a lawyer, prosecutor, and judge over the years have told me that they appreciated the open-minded and courteous manner in which Bud treated their clients and them. Those are qualities that I appreciate in judges who I come before in my law practice, and I hope you will join me in supporting Bud bringing those qualities to the Court of Criminal Appeals.