The following are the complete and unedited responses submitted by the candidate listed below to the Amarillo Pioneer’s Candidate Questionnaire.
Sharon Keller/Photo Provided by Campaign
Name: Sharon Keller
Office Sought: Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
Party Affiliation: Republican
Age: 70
Educational Background: B.A. Rice University; J.D. SMU School of Law
Occupation: Presiding Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, religious, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
Texas Indigent Defense Commission (current Chair); Board of the State Law Library (current Chair); member, Judicial Advisory Committee to the Texas Dep’t of Criminal Justice; Council of State Governments Justice Center (former member and Chair); member, Timothy Cole Exoneration Commission; various other law-related committees
Have you previously held or do you currently hold any elected office? If so, what office(s)?
Presiding Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals 2001-present; Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals 1995-2000
If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
sharonkeller.com
Why did you decide to run for this office in 2024?
As current Presiding Judge, I hope to continue the work that I have done over the past 29 years and, with my eight colleagues, keep the Court true to the Constitutions and laws.
If elected, what will be your top priority?
Faithfulness to the Constitutions of the United States and of Texas.
Please describe your legal career experience and discuss any career highlights you would like to share.
I’m in my 29th year in the Court, and 23rd as Presiding Judge. Before that, I was an assistant District Attorney in the appellate section of the Dallas County D.A.’s Office. Earlier this year, I was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Judicial Section of the Texas State Bar.
During your time in law school, what was the most profound lesson you learned that continues to play a role in your career and/or your life?
I learned to think like a lawyer.
What fictional lawyer do you most identify with? Please explain.
I don’t identify with any fictional character.
Do you have any notable endorsements you would like to highlight for voters?
Texas Alliance for Life
Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
My experience. I carry a full caseload and I am also the administrative head of the Court. With our budget of roughly $23 million a year (for appellate court operations and for grants for judicial and court personnel training) I am the only person who has the experience to keep the Court running smoothly. I have also been the Chair of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.since its inception in 2002. My experience in that position helps ensure that indigent defendants are properly represented and that counties get the help they need in the appointment of counsel.
I also have a proven record as a conservative who follows the Constitutions and laws.