Below are the unedited responses from David Newell to the Amarillo Pioneer’s candidate questionnaire for 2020. Newell is running for re-election unopposed in the March 3, 2020 Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9. Newell will face the Democratic Party’s nominee in November.

Please note: Questions from the Pioneer are in italics and the candidate’s responses are in standard type.

What is your occupation?

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9

What is your age?

What is your educational background? Please list any degrees earned, and institutions attended. You may also list any professional certifications.

B.A. --- University of Houston, English with concentration in creative writing, University honors and honors in major

J.D. --- University of Texas School of Law

Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Texas Bar College member

Is this your first time running for office? If not, please list which offices you have sought or held in the past.

No, it is not the first time I have run for office. I previously ran for and was elected to the position I currently hold, Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9. I did not hold any elected office before that.

If you have a website, Facebook, Twitter, or any other online campaign materials, please list the links below.

Website: www.keepjudgenewell.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/judgedavidnewell/

Why did you decide to run for office in 2020?

I believe I have accomplished a lot in my current term on the bench. I have authored many significant and thoughtful opinions in my time on the Court, and I have revitalized the Court's Rules Advisory Committee. I have been a strong voice for judicial restraint, respect for established precedent, common-sense decision-making, and protection of the rights of the citizens of Texas. I believe I still have more to accomplish, so I am running for re-election.

What experience do you have that qualifies you to hold this position?

I have over twenty years of experience as an appellate lawyer and a judge. I currently serve as an appellate judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal cases in Texas. In my time on the bench I have worked hard for the people of Texas, authoring numerous majority and side opinions in cases that have helped shape the current criminal jurisprudence of the state. In a recent poll by the Houston Bar Association, I received the highest evaluations of any appellate judge on my court. (https://www.hba.org/evaluationresults/). I have been Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law since 2004 and in Criminal Appellate Law since 2011. Attaining that distinction required me to demonstrate my substantial involvement in many different areas of criminal law including extensive trial and appellate experience. Additionally, it requires passing a comprehensive 6-hour examination in criminal law. To maintain my certification, I am required to complete an annual certification process that demonstrates participation in hours of continuing legal education beyond what is required of other lawyers. Among the approximately 87,957 lawyers in Texas, there are currently only 828 lawyers who are Board Certified in Criminal Law and only 134 who are Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law. Finally, I am also a member of the Criminal Appellate Law specialization subcommittee. In that capacity I help design and grade the yearly board certification exams which test that area of expertise. I am currently the Chair of the Rules Advisory Committee for the Court of Criminal Appeals. In that capacity, I have helped craft several rules of appellate procedure designed to improve access to the courts and resolve disputes in a just and efficient manner. Moreover, I also serve on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. There I have assisted the Texas Supreme Court draft rules of judicial administration affecting the court system as a whole. Prior to being elected, I served my community as an appellate prosecutor for seventeen years, first in my home county of Fort Bend for ten years and then later in Harris County for seven. As an appellate prosecutor in Fort Bend my responsibilities included handling direct appeals in capital murder cases in which the death penalty was assessed as well as habeas corpus applications in death penalty cases. I was also responsible for handling writs of habeas corpus in felony cases, juvenile appeals, State's appeals from motions to suppress, and civil appeals on behalf of CPS in parent-child termination cases. I have appeared numerous times as an advocate before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and several intermediate courts of appeals. I have also appeared as an advocate before the Texas Supreme Court, and I wrote a key portion of the State's brief before the United States Supreme Court in Salinas v. Texas. Additionally, throughout my career I have been committed to engaging in civic education so that practitioners and judges have the tools to understand and improve the criminal justice system. For over a decade I have presented the significant criminal case update at the Advanced Criminal Law Course put on by the State Bar of Texas. This presentation and paper covers decisions from the United States Supreme Court as well as the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and how those cases might impact the current state of criminal jurisprudence in Texas. I have done the same for the University of Texas School of Law CLE Department's Conference on Criminal Appeals, a conference for which I am a co-course coordinator. I routinely present on a wide variety of legal and ethical topics for the Texas Bar College, the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the Texas Association of Appellate Court Attorneys, the Texas District and County Attorney's Association, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association, the Texas Municipal Education Center, and the National Rifle Association to name a few. I am also a regular guest lecturer on legal writing at the University School of Law. In 2013, the Texas District and County Attorney's Association presented me with the C. Chris Marshall award for my efforts and contribution to the education of prosecutors in Texas. Finally, in addition to my experience in legal research and analysis, I have a background in writing. I graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in English with a concentration on creative writing. I earned both University honors as well as honors in my major. As a prosecutor, I twice served as the chair of the Editorial Board for the Texas Prosecutor, the bi-monthly journal for the Texas District and County Attorney's Association. In that capacity, I routinely wrote articles analyzing the significant legal decisions of the day under the byline "As the Judge Saw It."

I believe my extensive experience and relevant expertise make me the most qualified person for the Place 9 position of judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Are you supported by any political action committees? If so, please list your PAC endorsements.

As of January 13, 2020, I have been endorsed by the San Antonio Police Officers Association PAC as well as the Alliance for Life PAC. I am unopposed in the Republican Party primary and I hope to receive additional PAC endorsements as the election cycle continues.

Why are you the best candidate for voters to support in your race?

As discussed above, I believe I am the best candidate for this position because of my extensive experience and relevant expertise in the area of criminal appellate law. In addition to my many years of practice as an appellate attorney in a wide variety of different appellate arenas, I also have several years of experience as an appellate judge doing the job the people of Texas elected me to do. I have demonstrated strong fidelity to the rule of law and an independent judiciary in the many opinions I have offered. And I have repeatedly received the highest approval ratings of any judge on my Court. I have worked hard serving the people of Texas on their highest court for criminal cases, I would ask for the opportunity to continue the work I started when I was first elected as Judge, Place 9 on the Court of Criminal Appeals.