Democratic Candidates For 5th District Court of Appeals

5th Court of Appeals candidates speaking at Parr Library

On Thursday, there was a reception at Plano Parr Library for the Democratic candidates for 5th District Court of Appeals.

The judicial candidates talked about why it is so important that you care about who serves on your Court of Appeals. 

The Texas District Courts of Appeals are distributed in fourteen districts around the state of Texas.

The Courts of Appeal have intermediate appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases appealed from district or county courts. Like the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, Justices of the Texas Courts of Appeals are elected to six-year terms by general election.

The Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas at Dallas, which includes one Chief Justice and twelve Justices, has jurisdiction over appeals from both district and county courts located in Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall and Kaufman counties.

No Democrats currently sit on Fifth Court of Appeals. In the 2012 General Election, five Democratic Candidates are running for the 5th Court of Appeals:

• Tonya Holt for 5th District Court of Appeals Place 11
• Penny Phillips for 5th District Court of Appeals Place 5
• Larry Praeger for 5th District Court of Appeals Place 12
• David Hanshen for 5th District Court of Appeals Place 9
• Dan Wood for 5th District Court of Appeals Place 2

Both civil and criminal appeals are typically heard by a panel of three justices, unless in a particular case "en banc" hearing is ordered, in which instance all the justices of that Court hear and consider the case. (Graphical Guide to the Court System of Texas) (map)

Candidates in picture from left

• Lois Parrott for State Board of Education, District 12
• Jack Ternan for Texas Senate District 8
• Dan Wood for 5th of Court Appeals Place 2
• Penny Phillips for 5th Court of Appeals Place 5
• David Hanshen for 5th Court of Appeals Place 9
• Tonya Holt for 5th Court of Appeals Place 11
• Larry Praeger for 5th of Court Appeals Place 12

TDWCC 6th Annual Fundraiser Dinner

Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC) will have its 6th Annual Fundraiser Dinner, Moving Texas Forward, starting at 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 21 at Fairview Farms Corral Party Barn.  (map)  (Details and RSVP)

Keynote Speaker this year is Texas House Representative Carol Alvarado (HD-145), an outspoken supporter for women’s rights and health issues, with invited guest, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa.

Rep. Alvarado speaking about the Texas Transvaginal Sonogram bill on the House floor.  Video segment from  Texas Tribune.

During the 2011 session of the Texas Legislature Rep. Alvarado spoke against the Texas "Transvaginal Sonogram" bill that the Republican dominated Texas Legislature passed and sent to Gov. Perry to sign into law.

Alvarado stood at the front of the Texas House chamber brandishing a 10-inch trans-vaginal sonogram wand while describing its invasive purpose in graphic detail. "There are two different kinds of sonograms," she said. "The abdominal, which I think most of our colleagues may think ‘jelly on the belly’ that would be done there, but that’s not the case. A woman that is eight to 10 weeks pregnant would have to get a transvaginal sonogram."

Alvarado also strongly opposes Gov. Perry's and the Republican dominated Texas Legislature's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in Texas. Researchers at George Washington University have found that if Texas manages to exclude Planned Parenthood from participating in the Texas Women's Health Program (WHP), "tens of thousands of low-income Texas women could lose access to affordable family planning services and to other women’s health services. From the GWU study, which looked at five Texas markets, including rural Lubbock, Hidalgo and Midland counties as well as urban Bexar County, which contains San Antonio, and Dallas County:

"If Planned Parenthood affiliates were excluded from WHP, the remaining non-PPFA clinics would have to absorb a massive increase in WHP patients in order to maintain the overall 2011 caseload level. Non-PPFA clinics in Bexar and Dallas Counties would have to double their capacity. Lubbock County providers would need to expand by 250% if the Planned Parenthood affiliate was excluded. In Hidalgo and Midland Counties, the average non-PPFA clinics would have to serve more than five times their current caseloads. In these five markets, the WHP caseloads would need to expand by two to five times their current capacity in order to absorb the patients already served by Planned Parenthood."

This is a situation entirely of Republican lawmakers' drastic family planning budget cuts in 2011 and this year's attempt at excluding Planned Parenthood from the WHP, though pending litigation has delayed the ultimate ruling on Planned Parenthood's fate.

Tx House Rep. Carol Alvarado

Rep. Alvarado has served in the Texas House as a Representative from Houston since 2009. Prior to moving to the House, she was a 3-term member of the Houston City Council. While on the Council she was on the Board of Directors of the Texas Municipal League.

She is a native of Houston, and graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in Political Science and an MA in Business Administration. Her Committee assignments include Vice Chair of Urban Affairs, Public Health, and Redistricting.

Dinner Details and RSVP

Related Video:

• Graphic video animation of transvaginal procedure 
• John Stewart on Virginia's Transvaginal Ultrasound Bill)

Voter Empowerment And Poll Greeters

by Deborah Angell-Smith

Join us for Democratic Network Educational Forum discussion on the role and importance of poll greeters, at 10:45am this Sat., October 13th, at the John & Judy Gay Library in McKinney. (John & Judy Gay Library - 6861 El Dorado Parkway,  McKinney - Map)

If you're reading this, you're someone who is probably going to be on the "front lines" of this election. Whether you're going to be a poll greeter, election worker, poll watcher or campaign worker, it's important that you know the "rules of engagement" and how to be most effective at whatever you do. Our next Democratic Network Forum will help!

This Saturday morning, October 13th, Barbara Walters, President of Texas Democratic Women - Collin County, veteran activist and professional trainer, will present a program designed for poll greeters (the dedicated folks who stand outside of polling places encouraging voters to vote for Democratic candidates), but it will also be helpful for election workers, poll watchers and campaign workers. If you're not sure which role suits you best, Barb's presentation will help you figure it out! Regardless of where you fit into the election picture, she'll fill you in on the basics of behavior in and around polling places so you don't get yourself (or your candidate) in trouble, and make the best use of your time.

Saturday October 13, 2012

13

REGISTER NOW

Don't forget, the King Street Patriots, local Tea Party groups and conservative activists of all stripes are actively recruiting and training followers to "True the Vote" in ways that are clearly designed to intimidate legitimate voters and suppress votes from ethnic and religious minorities, young people and other targeted populations. On the heels of months of conflicts and court fights, confusion and errors in the election process are virtually guaranteed, and many voters still have concerns about the electronic voting machines. There WILL be problems, and as an activist, you'll want to be ready to help in any way you can.

Our program will be held at the John & Judy Gay Library in McKinney, 6861 El Dorado Parkway, just east of Alma. There's plenty of room, and we need as many Democrats as we can find informed and ready to step in wherever they're needed, so PLEASE BRING OTHERS WITH YOU! Join us for coffee and breakfast goodies at 10:45 am and the program will get started at 11. We'll wrap up by 1 pm and those who care to continue the discussion can adjourn to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Like most activists, the Democratic Network Forum will take a break in November and December. We encourage you to recuperate from the election, rest and spend time with your family and friends. We'll see you at various holiday parties and be back in January with informative programs to educate you about issues that affect us here in Collin County, and what we, as Democrats, can do to make things better. Keep in mind that the Texas Legislature starts back up again in January, and local candidates will be filing for city council and school board elections, so we'll have plenty to talk about!

As always, we invite your input on topics, speakers, format and other options - and encourage you to get involved in growing our network. We'll have sign-up and comment sheets at the event, but if you aren't able to attend, please e-mail us at info@collindems.net, or call (469) 713-2031 to leave a voice message.

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Democratic Network Educational Forum

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Role and Importance Of Poll Greeters

Join us for another Democratic Network Educational Forum discussion on Voter Empowerment and Election Protection, at 10:45am this Sat., October 13th, at the John & Judy Gay Library in McKinney. The Forum this month will provide training on the role and importance of poll greeters, including what we all can do to protect voters' rights. LOTS of poll greeters will be needed so ask your friends to attend this Forum presentation. There will also be additional discussion about the duties of poll watchers. (John & Judy Gay Library - 6861 El Dorado Parkway - Map)

Remember 2000? Hanging chads, voter suppression, overwhelming confusion and voting machines that may - or may not - have counted the votes as they were cast. There were critical failures at many key points along the way that resulted in a stolen election and eight long years of regret. 

Today, the King Street Patriots, Tea Party groups and conservative activists of all stripes are recruiting and training followers to "True the Vote" in ways that are clearly designed to intimidate legitimate voters and suppress votes from ethnic and religious minorities, young people and other targeted populations. On the heels of months of voter photo I.D. court fights, deputy voter registrar court fights, redistricting court fights, plus a last minute purge of dead voters who are not dead, confusion and errors in the election process are virtually guaranteed, and we still have concerns about those machines.

Saturday October 13, 2012

13

REGISTER NOW

Being informed about these intimidation tactics and failure points before the first votes are cast allows you to defend vulnerable voters and protect the interests of candidates you support. You'll able to share important information with your network and identify potential issues anywhere and everywhere you see them.

The program will be held at the John & Judy Gay Library in McKinney, 6861 El Dorado Parkway, just east of Alma. It's centrally located in the county and offers plenty of room, so please encourage Democratic friends and neighbors to come with you. Join us for coffee and breakfast goodies at 10:45 am and the program will get started at 11:00 am. We'll wrap up by 1 pm and those who care to continue the discussion can adjourn to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

As always, we invite your input on topics, speakers, format and other options - and encourage you to get involved in growing our network. We'll have sign-up and comment sheets at the event, but if you aren't able to attend, please e-mail us at info@collindems.net, or call (469) 713-2031 to leave a voice message.

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FOLLOW ON TWITTER

FRIEND ON FACEBOOK

FORWARD TO A FRIEND

Democratic Network Educational Forum

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