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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder |name= Lawrence Edward "Larry" Meyers |birth_date=November 29, 1947 |birth_place=Place of birth missing |death_date= |death_place= |resting_place= |alma..."
{{Infobox officeholder
|name= Lawrence Edward "Larry" Meyers
|birth_date=November 29, 1947
|birth_place=Place of birth missing
|death_date=
|death_place=
|resting_place=
|alma_mater=[[Southern Methodist University]]<br>
[[University of Kansas]] School of Law<br>
[[University of Virginia]] School of Law]]
|religion=
|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]-turned-[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] (2013)
|office= Place 2 Judge of the [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]
|term_start=January 1993
|term_end=January 2017
|preceded=
|succeeded=[[Mary Lou Keel]]
|residence=[[Fort Worth]], [[Texas]], USA
|spouse= Barbara Jean Meyers
|children=Two children
}}
'''Lawrence Edward Meyers''', known as '''Larry Meyers''' (born November 29, 1947),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/lawrence-meyers/e532685167806|title=Lawrence Meyers|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=January 16, 2021}}</ref> is a former judge of the [[Texas]] Court of Criminal Appeals. Because he switched parties in December 2013, he was for a two-year period the only [[Democratic Party |Democrat]] holding a statewide elected office in his state.
==Background==
Meyers (place of birth missing) graduated in 1970 from [[Southern Methodist University]] in University Park, Texas. He obtained a [[Juris Doctor]]ate in 1973 from the [[University of Kansas]] School of Law in Lawrence, [[Kansas]]. Years thereafter, he received a Master of Laws degree in 1998 from the [[University of Virginia]] School of Law in Charlottesville, [[Virginia]].<ref name=ttribune>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/lawrence-meyers/|title=Judge Lawrence "Larry" Meyers, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Place 2 (D)|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=December 16, 2014}}</ref>
After obtaining his law degree, Meyers was briefly an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County, [[Kansas]]. Between 1975 and 1988, he practiced civil, criminal, and appellate law in [[Fort Worth]], where he was also a substitute municipal judge for three years. He has also been an instructor at [[Texas Christian University]] in Fort Worth. Meyers and his wife, Barbara Jean Meyers (born 1948), reside in Fort Worth and have two children, Kelli and Clay.<ref name=txcourts>{{cite web|url=http://www.txcourts.gov/cca/about-the-court/judges/judge-lawrence-e-meyers.aspx|title=Judge Lawrence E. Meyers: Place 2|publisher=txcourts.gov|accessdate=December 16, 2014}}</ref>
==Judicial career==
From 1989 to 1992, Meyers was an associate justice on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, an intermediate appeals court.<ref name=txcourts/> In 1992, Meyers ran for the Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort in criminal cases in Texas. In the [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[primary]] election, he polled 282,640 statewide votes (54.5 percent) to his intra-party challenger, Ed Gray, who received 236,249 (45.5 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 10, 1992.</ref> In the November general election Meyers narrowly unseated the Democratic incumbent, Pete Benavides, 2,732,689 votes (50.5 percent) to 2,677,996 (49.5 percent). In the 1998 Republican primary, Meyers won re-nomination, 248,972 votes (57.2 percent) to Herb Hancock's 186,017 (42.8 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 10, 1998.</ref> Meyers was subsequently handily reelected in the general elections of 1998, 2004, and 2010.<ref name=ttribune/>
After his party switch, while remaining on the Court of Criminal Appeals, Meyers sought the Place 6 seat on the Texas Supreme Court, a civil judicial body. He was handily defeated by Republican Jeff Brown, a temporary appointee of then [[Governor]] [[Rick Perry]]. Brown polled 2,772,056 votes (60.3 percent) to Meyers's 1,677,341 (36.5 percent). Another 146,511 votes (3.2 percent) went to the [[Libertarian Party]] nominee, Mark Ash.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 4, 2014./ref>
Meyers began his service as a judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1993. Columnist Ken Herman of ''The Austin American-Statesman'' attributed Meyers's defeat for the Supreme Court largely to his party switch and voter tendency to vote a straight Republican ticket in Texas and the view by some Republicans that Meyers had not sided sufficiently with the prosecution in criminal cases. Meyers said that his party bolt was motivated by the influence of the [[Tea Party movement]] on the Texas [[Republican Party|GOP]].<ref>Ken Herman, "Same guy, different party, loses," ''The Laredo Morning Times,'' December 16, 2014, p. 4A.</ref>
Two Republicans, [[Mary Lou Keel]] of Austin and Ray Wheless of Allen in [[suburban]] Collin County, met in a runoff election on May 24, 2016, for the nomination to oppose Meyers in the November 8 general election. Keel had led the primary with 784,414 votes (39.4 percent) to Wheless's 704,772 votes (35.4 percent). Eliminated in the primary was Chris Oldner, who drew a critical 500,510 votes (25.2 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 1, 2016.</ref> Keel then narrowly defeated Wheless in the runoff, 185,257 votes (51 percent) to 178,272 (49 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, May 24, 2016. Keel unseated Meyers, who polled 970,066 votes while running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyers, Lawrence E.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Kansas]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Judges]]
[[Category:Former Republicans]]
[[Category:Democrats]]
|name= Lawrence Edward "Larry" Meyers
|birth_date=November 29, 1947
|birth_place=Place of birth missing
|death_date=
|death_place=
|resting_place=
|alma_mater=[[Southern Methodist University]]<br>
[[University of Kansas]] School of Law<br>
[[University of Virginia]] School of Law]]
|religion=
|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]-turned-[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] (2013)
|office= Place 2 Judge of the [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]
|term_start=January 1993
|term_end=January 2017
|preceded=
|succeeded=[[Mary Lou Keel]]
|residence=[[Fort Worth]], [[Texas]], USA
|spouse= Barbara Jean Meyers
|children=Two children
}}
'''Lawrence Edward Meyers''', known as '''Larry Meyers''' (born November 29, 1947),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/lawrence-meyers/e532685167806|title=Lawrence Meyers|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=January 16, 2021}}</ref> is a former judge of the [[Texas]] Court of Criminal Appeals. Because he switched parties in December 2013, he was for a two-year period the only [[Democratic Party |Democrat]] holding a statewide elected office in his state.
==Background==
Meyers (place of birth missing) graduated in 1970 from [[Southern Methodist University]] in University Park, Texas. He obtained a [[Juris Doctor]]ate in 1973 from the [[University of Kansas]] School of Law in Lawrence, [[Kansas]]. Years thereafter, he received a Master of Laws degree in 1998 from the [[University of Virginia]] School of Law in Charlottesville, [[Virginia]].<ref name=ttribune>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/lawrence-meyers/|title=Judge Lawrence "Larry" Meyers, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Place 2 (D)|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=December 16, 2014}}</ref>
After obtaining his law degree, Meyers was briefly an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County, [[Kansas]]. Between 1975 and 1988, he practiced civil, criminal, and appellate law in [[Fort Worth]], where he was also a substitute municipal judge for three years. He has also been an instructor at [[Texas Christian University]] in Fort Worth. Meyers and his wife, Barbara Jean Meyers (born 1948), reside in Fort Worth and have two children, Kelli and Clay.<ref name=txcourts>{{cite web|url=http://www.txcourts.gov/cca/about-the-court/judges/judge-lawrence-e-meyers.aspx|title=Judge Lawrence E. Meyers: Place 2|publisher=txcourts.gov|accessdate=December 16, 2014}}</ref>
==Judicial career==
From 1989 to 1992, Meyers was an associate justice on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, an intermediate appeals court.<ref name=txcourts/> In 1992, Meyers ran for the Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort in criminal cases in Texas. In the [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[primary]] election, he polled 282,640 statewide votes (54.5 percent) to his intra-party challenger, Ed Gray, who received 236,249 (45.5 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 10, 1992.</ref> In the November general election Meyers narrowly unseated the Democratic incumbent, Pete Benavides, 2,732,689 votes (50.5 percent) to 2,677,996 (49.5 percent). In the 1998 Republican primary, Meyers won re-nomination, 248,972 votes (57.2 percent) to Herb Hancock's 186,017 (42.8 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 10, 1998.</ref> Meyers was subsequently handily reelected in the general elections of 1998, 2004, and 2010.<ref name=ttribune/>
After his party switch, while remaining on the Court of Criminal Appeals, Meyers sought the Place 6 seat on the Texas Supreme Court, a civil judicial body. He was handily defeated by Republican Jeff Brown, a temporary appointee of then [[Governor]] [[Rick Perry]]. Brown polled 2,772,056 votes (60.3 percent) to Meyers's 1,677,341 (36.5 percent). Another 146,511 votes (3.2 percent) went to the [[Libertarian Party]] nominee, Mark Ash.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 4, 2014./ref>
Meyers began his service as a judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1993. Columnist Ken Herman of ''The Austin American-Statesman'' attributed Meyers's defeat for the Supreme Court largely to his party switch and voter tendency to vote a straight Republican ticket in Texas and the view by some Republicans that Meyers had not sided sufficiently with the prosecution in criminal cases. Meyers said that his party bolt was motivated by the influence of the [[Tea Party movement]] on the Texas [[Republican Party|GOP]].<ref>Ken Herman, "Same guy, different party, loses," ''The Laredo Morning Times,'' December 16, 2014, p. 4A.</ref>
Two Republicans, [[Mary Lou Keel]] of Austin and Ray Wheless of Allen in [[suburban]] Collin County, met in a runoff election on May 24, 2016, for the nomination to oppose Meyers in the November 8 general election. Keel had led the primary with 784,414 votes (39.4 percent) to Wheless's 704,772 votes (35.4 percent). Eliminated in the primary was Chris Oldner, who drew a critical 500,510 votes (25.2 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 1, 2016.</ref> Keel then narrowly defeated Wheless in the runoff, 185,257 votes (51 percent) to 178,272 (49 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Election Returns, May 24, 2016. Keel unseated Meyers, who polled 970,066 votes while running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyers, Lawrence E.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Kansas]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Judges]]
[[Category:Former Republicans]]
[[Category:Democrats]]