TX Supreme Court Justice Steven Wayne Smith Replies to Press Misstatements

Email from Justice Steven Wayne Smith | 01-15-03 | David Rogers, Campaign Manager

[Theodore R.]

Re-Elect Justice Steven Wayne Smith Texas Supreme Court, Place 5 _______________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Jan. 15, 2004)

CONTACT: David Rogers, Campaign Manager, (512) 923-6188

(Austin)

Supreme Court Justice Steven Wayne Smith campaign responds to misstatements by Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer, Austin American-Statesman syndicated columnist.

Campaign manager David Rogers said "Recent articles by writers for these newspapers have characterized Justice Smith as ‘embattled’ and a ‘pariah.’ These characterizations are simply wrong."

Rogers said "The fact is, Justice Smith is supported by a significant number of prominent Republicans, conservative activists, and major law firms. " (see list below)

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote: "Backed by several top Republican Party officeholders, San Antonio Appeals Court Judge Paul Green on Tuesday filed in the GOP primary against embattled Texas Supreme Court Justice Steven Wayne Smith."

em·bat·tled: 1. Prepared or fortified for battle or engaged in battle: embattled troops; an embattled city. 2. Beset with attackers, criticism, or controversy: an embattled legislative minority.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition The statement above is not justified by the content of the story in question. There is no direct criticism in it of Justice Smith from anyone.

Austin American-Statesman syndicated columnist Dave McNeely wrote "Alas, Mr. Rodriguez was unseated by someone considered a pariah by the GOP and legal establishment, Stephen [sic] Wayne Smith, in the 2002 GOP primary, with 53.5 percent."

pariah: 1. One of an aboriginal people of Southern India, regarded by the four castes of the Hindoos as of very low grade. They are usually the serfs of the Sudra agriculturalists. See Caste. --Balfour (Cyc. of India). 2. An outcast; one despised by society.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

First among Smith’s campaign team is his treasurer, former Congressman and Railroad Commissioner Kent Hance. Hance is a leading Republican activist and contributor. Hance was a Bush Pioneer in the 2000 election and remains a strong supporter of the President.

The partial list of supporters below refutes the claim that Justice Smith is a "pariah." He is an independent conservative, embraced by many influential conservative and Republican leaders.

Partial List of Supporters

Endorsements:

Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum* Kyleen Wright, President, Texans for Life Coalition* Congressman Ron Paul Hon. Kent Hance, former Congressman and Railroad Commissioner Tim Lambert, Republican National Committeeman, President, Texas Home School Coalition* Greg Coleman, Weil, Gotshal, & Mages, LLP,* former Texas Solicitor General under Attorney General Cornyn, former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Ward Connerly, Chairman, American Civil Rights Institute,* Regent, University of California* Professor Lino Graglia, University of Texas School of Law* Carolyn "Kay" Graglia, Esq. Don Zimmerman, Executive Director, Republican Liberty Caucus* Kelly Shackelford, President, Free Market Foundation*; Chief Counsel, Liberty Legal Institute* State Representative Leo Berman (R-Tyler) State Representative Dan Flynn (R-Canton) State Representative Fred Hill (R-Richardson) Hon. Carolyn Galloway former State Representative (R-Dallas) Hon. Terral Smith, Esq. former Legislative Liaison for Governor George W. Bush, former State Representative (R-Travis County) Richard Ford, Chairman, Heritage Alliance*; Chairman, Free Market Foundation* David Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union * ; Southern Regional Coordinator for 1976 Ronald Reagan for President Campaign; former National Political Director for President George H.W. Bush; former Advisor to Majority Leader Bob Dole Royal Masset, former Political Director, Republican Party of Texas* (inventor of ORVS) Mark Loeffler, former Campaign Manager, Jerry Patterson for Land Commissioner ; former Legislative Director, State Senator Mike Jackson (R-Pasadena) David Rushing, Chairman, Young Conservatives of Texas*

Chris Allen, Chairman emeritus, Young Conservatives of Texas* Gerald Daugherty, Republican Travis County Commissioner Betty Anderson, Chairwoman, Montgomery County Christian Coalition Ron Meinke, Precinct Chairman and Election Judge; former SREC Committeeman SD 13; former Harris County Christian Coalition Director* Deany Meinke, TFRW Executive Committee; former Daughters of Liberty Republican Women President; former Harris County Christian Coalition Co-Director* Michael Franks, Political Director, Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas; ; former SREC Committeeman SD18 Doug Johnson, former SREC Committeeman, SD 15 and SD 6 Austen Furse, Chairman, Texans for Tax Limits* Tim Hoy, SREC Committeeman SD 9 John Gordon, SREC Committeeman, SD 5 Anne Mazone, SREC Committeewoman, SD 5 Joel Yowell, Nueces County Republican Chairman* Barney Henderson, Milam County Republican Chairman* Louis Beecherl Harold C. Simmons Fred C. Morse, III Hughes Dillard, Esq., President, Dillard Company Michael Louis Minns, Esq. David Andrew Clark, Esq. Evan Fitzmaurice, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP*, former speechwriter for U.S. Senator Hutchison and former general counsel, Republican Party of Texas James Logan, Treasurer, The Republican Club of Austin * Joe Biles, President, Texas Tech College Republicans*, Texas Youth Director, Bush-Cheney 2004* Maggie Robles White, former Chair, Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Cooke County* Edward Blum, Center for Equal Opportunity Patrick O'Daniel, Jenkens & Gilchrist LLP*, former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Frank Reilly, Potts & Reilly LLP, former Assistant General Counsel, Republican Party of Texas* Paul Terrill, Hazen & Terrill LLP, President, Austin Federalist Society Lawyers Chapter* Sean Keveney, former law clerk to Judge Garwood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Marc Levin, former law clerk to Judge Garwood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Bill Helfand, Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martin LLP* Duston McFaul, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Houston Steven Wales, McCormick, Hancock & Newton LLP Mike Thompson Jr., Wright & Greenhill, P.C.*, Austin Federalist Society Lawyers Chapter Board of Advisers* Jeff Work, Esq. Roger White, Esq. Sam Lee, Esq. Mark Hernandez Phil Magness Zahid Ahsanullah Patrick McGuinness Jim Windham Mary Leibham Lance Fitzgerald Charles Ganske Jay Fiorenza Shaan Shirazi Jack Lee George Jeffords Elaine Green Vince Williams Grace Bruce Jimmy Bruce Ralph Harrison Steve Young Kate Young Joshua Rouse Kristen Blank John Lyons Josh Hiller Alex Gonzalez, Federalist Society* Professor Daniel Bonevac, former Chairman, Department of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin*; Professor Robert Koons, Department of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin*; Member, Society of Christian Philosophers* Carl Tepper, Chairman, Austin Capital Metro Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee*; Member, City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission* Bill Ames, Dallas conservative activist, wrote language that became part of HB1172 passed in 2003 that requires content on America's founding to be in Texas textbooks Merry Lynn Gerstenschlager, Education Liaison, Texas Eagle Forum* Sonia Mohammed, former Chair, U.T. Young Conservatives of Texas Josh Tetens, President, Heart of Texas Young Republicans * Davida Stike, Travis County Republican Party Precinct Chair* Grace Germany, Travis County Republican Precinct Chair* Garth Whittington, Harris County Republican Precinct Chair* Christine Appelt, Harris County Republican Precinct Chair* Ashton Ellis, Young Conservatives of Texas Baylor Chapter Chairman* Jon Gimble, Vice Chairman of Special Events, Young Conservatives of Texas*

*organization name included for identification purposes only

Financial supporters:

Governor William P. Clements (R) State Representative Will Hartnett (R-Dallas) Sid Bass Perry Bass Ed Bass Lee Bass Boone Pickens Albert Huddleston Clark S. Willingham, Esq. Eric Gambrell, Esq. Baker Botts LLP Baron & Budd, PC Beirne, Maynard & Parson, LLP Bickel & Brewer Cantey & Hanger Cowles & Thompson, PC Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP Goodwin Gruber, LLP Haynes & Boone, LLP Jackson Walker, LLP Jenkens & Gilchrist, PC Locke Liddel & Sapp, LLP Munsch, Hardt, Kopf, & Harr, PC Susman Godfrey, LLP Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP Thompson & Knight, LLP Vinson & Elkins, LLP

In addition, over 2,000 registered Republicans signed petitions to place Justice Smith on the March 2004 primary ballot, and 2,331,140 Texans elected Justice Smith to the Texas Supreme Court in November 2002.

Justice Smith is best known as the attorney who filed, litigated and won the Hopwood case that ended racial preferences at Texas universities from 1996 through 2003. Justice Smith has served on the Supreme Court since Nov. 20 of 2002, and was ranked in an independent study as the Justice most likely to be in the majority during his first term.

###

Political Communication paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Justice Steven Wayne Smith, Hon. Kent Hance, Treasurer, P.O. Box 926, Austin, Texas 78767