Paul Womack
| Paul Leslie Womack | |
 | |
Place 4 Judge of the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals | |
| In office 1997–2015 | |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Patrick Yeary |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1947 Shreveport, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sally L. Ray |
| Residence | Seguin, Guadalupe County Texas |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University University of Texas School of Law |
Paul Leslie Womack (born April 1, 1947)[1] is a retired judge of the nine-member Court of Criminal Appeals, the state court of last resort in criminal cases in Texas. A Republican, Womack was first elected in 1996, won second and third terms in 2002 and 2008, but did not seek a fourth six-year term in 2014.[2]
Background
Womack formerly resided in Georgetown in suburban Williamson County, Texas,[1] but he since relocated to Seguin in Guadalupe County,.[2] Womack received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1975, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in the capital city of Austin.[3]
Legal career
After law school, Womack taught for a year at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston and then engaged in private practice for two years. In 1978, he was named research assistant for Judge Truman Roberts of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In 1982, when Judge Roberts retired, Womack became an assistant district attorney in Travis County. From 1987 to 1997, he was the first assistant district attorney in Williamson County, his last position until he joined the Court of Criminal Appeals. Since 1983, he has been an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law; he wrote a casebook on Texas criminal procedure.[4]
In the Republican primary for the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992, Womack led a five-candidate field for the Place 2 seat. He polled 214,415 votes (31.8 percent) and was placed in a runoff contest with Pat Barber, who finished in a second place with polled 148,764 (22.1 percent), less than a thousand votes above that of the third-placed candidate.[5] In the second round of balloting with a low turnout Womack prevailed over Barber, 148 135 votes (66.9 percent) to 73,129 (33.1 percent).[6] In the November general election, Womack defeated the Democrat Charles Holcomb, 2,721,048 votes (53.5 percent) to 2,368,192 (46.5 percent).[7]
In 2000, Womack's wife, Sally L. Ray, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to join her husband as a member of the Court of Criminal Appeals. She finished in fourth place in the contest for the Place 2 seat with 131,609 votes (17.1 percent).[8] Womack's colleague on the court, Barbara Hervey of San Antonio, went on to win the seat.
In 2002, Womack defeated another Democrat, Pat Montgomery, for Place 2 on the Court of Criminal Appeals, 2,463,069 (57.4 percent) to 1,828,431 (42.6 percent).[9] In 2008, in the Place 4 court race, Womack defeated another Democrat, J.R. Molina, 4,044,788 (53 percent) to 3,340,754 (43.7 percent).[10]
Upon their deaths, Judge Womack and his wife will be interred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paul Womack's Biography. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on February 11, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Paul Womack (Leslie). Mylife.com. Retrieved on February 11, 2021.
- ↑ Judge Paul Womack. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved on December 17, 2014; information no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ Judge Paul Womack. txcourts.gov. Retrieved on December 17, 2014; material no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns, March 12, 1992.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Republican runoff election returns, April 1992.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, General election returns, November 5, 2002.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Republican runoff election returns, 2000.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, General election returns, November 5, 2002.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, General election returns, November 2008.
- ↑ Paul Leslie Womack. Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved on February 11, 2021.
