Democrats take aim at Texas Supreme Court races

AUSTIN – The Big Bend Sentinel reports that Republicans have a firm grip on the highest civil court in the state — the Texas Supreme Court — with the party controlling all nine seats since 1998 and winning all three of the 2022 court races by at least 13 points. But a recent ruling by the court on reproductive rights and abortion has spurred Democrats to try and change that dynamic with the founding of a new political action committee and online campaigns meant to convince Texans that their highest court is endangering Texas women. For the November election, six states are holding citizen-initiated ballot measures to protect abortion rights, with six states already protecting abortion rights with ballot measures in past elections. For Democrats, the ballot box is the only way to fight back on Texas’ abortion ban enacted by the Texas Legislature after the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade. Susan Hayes, an attorney and longtime activist on abortion rights, said that unlike many other states, Texas does not have ballot initiatives or referendums that allow for residents to gather petitions to put a new law or state constitutional amendment on a ballot or repeal an existing law.

Hayes said Texas Democrats need to push more on the abortion rights issue with the state ballot options, so a PAC is a step in the right direction. “It has astounded me that the state party and big pocket donors aren’t glomming on to this strategy because it’s a way to put abortion on the ballot in Texas,” she said. Hayes, a former clerk for the Texas Supreme Court who has a residence in Alpine, said educating voters on these races can benefit the Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. “It’s a great strategy, and it could be something that not only helps win those seats but helps [Democratic U.S. Senate candidate] Colin Allred because it drives out votes if the message gets down to the people who matter the most,” she said. Gina Ortiz Jones, a former contender for U.S. House District 23 that covers the tri-county area, said the recognition of the issue as crucial was obvious to Democrats. “We looked around and made some calls and said, ‘Hey, what are we doing about this?” Jones ended up co-founding a political action committee, Find Out PAC, that intends to address what many see as a lack of interest in the top judicial races, particularly since Texas is seen as a model in how to outlaw abortion. “We’re the epicenter for the number one issue in the country,” she said.