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Political Report

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The Legislative Report
By SHEILAH PEPPER
The Gazette Staff
The GOP runoff for the Texas Supreme Court pits two very different candidates against each other.
One is Rick Greem, a motivational speaker and former legislator from Dripping Springs. He has relatively little legal experience but he does have a resume that is strongly approved by social conservatives.
The other candidate is Debra Lehrmann, a legal scholar and a 22-year trial judge in Fort Worth. Her resume excites lawyers, judges and tort reformers.
Both emerged from an extremely close six-way primary in March. April 13 is the date for the runoff election.
Green, 39, says he would bring a unique and varied background to the nine-member court, as a lawyer, businessman, lawmaker and public speaker on the U.S. Constitution and the nation's founding principles.
He said his candidacy is playing a role in the national debate "about whether or not we're going to march down the road to socialism with this president and Congress, or whether we will rediscover and return to those principles that made America the most successful nation in history."
Lehrmann disagrees. "My opponent has no judicial experience, no courtroom experience, no appellate experience whatsoever. He is a public speaker. While that is fine, it does not prepare him at all to serve on the Texas Supreme Court," she stated.
Some have concerns that Green's lack of experience might cause him to rely to much on law clerks. Lehrmann is widely regarded as an expert in the field of family law - one of the Supreme Court's areas of review. She has tried thousands of cases and has seldom been overturned on appeal.
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison recently announced that she will stay in Congress until the end of her term in 2012. Last November she had said that she would resign her seat in the U.S. Senate following her March primary challenge to Gov. Rick Perry, regardless of the outcome of the primary.
However, in late March, she said, "I think my experience will be better used fighting the effort of this president and Congress to do so much that is really taking away the essence of America."
Hutchison said she needs to stay in the Senate to fight the health care plan and the upcoming tax and spending policies being pushed forward by the Obama administration.
Republicans Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams, both Texas railroad commissioners, as well as Roger Williams, a former Texas secretary of state, have said they still plan to run for the Senate seat in 2012. Another GOP candidate, Florence Shapiro of Plano, said she is dropping out of the senate race and will return her money to her donors.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is widely believed to be interested in the U.S. Senate, although he did not launch an actual campaign. Democrat John Sharp, a former Texas comptroller, has said he will run when the seat comes available. Sen. John Cornyn, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Gov. Perry, among others, have cheered Hutchison's move, citing the major challenges the nation is facing.
Governor Perry will lead a Texas delegation of state and business leaders to China in June. First Lady Anita Perry will join the Governor in representing the state during "Salute to Texas Week" from June 13th to the 19th at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
The delegation will highlight Texas economic development opportunities and the state's tourist attractions.