Thomas Smith
Republican
Thomas Smith
Republican
Candidate for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
About
Special Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Justice in the Texas Attorney General’s Office since 2015. Previously served as counsel to then-State Sen. Ken Paxton (2013–2015), worked in private practice including at Jones Day, and clerked for Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer.
Conservative Endorsements
Candidate Videos
Survey Responses
Notable Quotes
“We are in danger of losing our country, and even our beloved state of Texas. Activist judges running rogue courts who shred the Constitution and the rule of law are fueling that.”
“Do you feel safe in a country where our leaders, our government bring people over here with a belief system that is contrary not only to our Constitution but our way of life? And somehow it seems they're allowed to do whatever they want because they've cloaked that belief system in religion.”
“Judges are our last line of defense between chaos and order in a civilized society.”
Positions on Texas Eagle Forum Legislative Priorities
Border Security & Immigration
Secure Our Elections
- SERVED AS AN ELECTION INTEGRITY LAWYER and was part of President Trump's Election Integrity team in Arizona concerning the 2020 Arizona election.[1][2]
- STATED ON ELECTION FRAUD, "Do you feel safe when a court, which happens to be this court, strips the authority of the duly elected Attorney General from the authority to prosecute election fraud in the state of Texas and gets rid of a 71-year-old law that was passed by your duly elected legislature?"[1]
Education Issues
- No public statements found.
Protect Childhood Innocence
- HELPED THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE WRITE HUMAN TRAFFICKING BILLS (Senate Bill 20, 2019 & House Bill 1540, 2021).[1][2][3]
- CRITICIZED THE COURT FOR THROWING OUT LEGISLATION banning online solicitation of children as unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment and helped write the new law to replace it.[1][2][3][4]
- SAYS HE'S RUNNING TO KEEP "WOMEN AND CHILDREN SAFE in an increasingly dangerous culture.”[1]
Protect Life
- ENDORSED BY MANY PRO-LIFE GROUPS AND LEADERS, including Texas Eagle Forum, Texas Family Action, West Texas Life, Texas Patriots PAC, Montgomery County Tea Party, True Texas Project, Grassroots America, Matt Rinaldi, Cindi Castilla, and Betty Anderson.[1]
Other Constitutional Issues
- COMMITMENT TO "RESTORE A CONSERVATIVE, LIMITED JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY" and opposes “destructive judicial activism.” He states that judges should protect “the Constitution and the rule of law” rather than “making law from the bench.”[1][2][3][4]
- ENDORSED BY TEXAS GUN RIGHTS and received an "A" rating from Gun Owners of America.[1]
- ENDORSED BY TEXANS FOR VACCINE CHOICE.[1]