Judge Doug Woodburn, who has presided over the 108th District Court since he was first elected in 2008, is set to retire after over a decade on the bench. However, while Judge Woodburn is not seeking another term, his latest finance report indicates he raised and spent thousands of dollars during the back half of 2023.

Initially, Woodburn had not been planning to retire. Though the state constitution was set to bar Woodburn from seeking another term in office due to a mandatory retirement age, an amendment on the November 2023 ballot sought to raise the retirement age. In anticipation of the restriction being lifted, Woodburn entered campaign mode. Though he began the election season with a reported $23.23 on hand, Woodburn raised $18,750 between August and November. Woodburn also reported spending $4,789.84 during that period, with most of that money going to campaign consulting companies Nobox Creative and Norfleet Strategies. (Though Woodburn reported raising more money than he spent, he did report that his campaign still only had $23.23 left at the end of the reporting period.)

Woodburn’s plans to seek another term were cut short when voters statewide rejected the proposal to raise the retirement age for judges. Four candidates are running a heated race to replace Woodburn. As of the close of the most recent reporting period, Sam Brown Silverman and Joe Marr Wilson were ahead in terms of fundraising, while Tim Pirtle and Pamela Sirmon reported that their campaigns were mostly being financed from personal loans they had each given to their campaigns.

Outside of the 108th District Court race, Woodburn has been a prolific campaign donor. Woodburn has given $1,700 to Amarillo Matters PAC since 2022, according to reports filed by the PAC.