By Maggie Prosser
Dallas Morning News
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
Judge Tina Clinton narrowly defeated Republican attorney Matthew Kolodoski, according to race results from the Texas Secretary of State’s office finalized Nov. 25.
A Democratic Dallas County judge won a seat on Texas’ Fifth District Court of Appeals by less than 1,600 votes, thwarting a Republican sweep of the Dallas-based appellate court this election.
Judge Tina Clinton narrowly defeated Republican attorney Matthew Kolodoski, 50.05% to 49.95%, according to race results from the Texas Secretary of State’s office finalized Nov. 25. Unofficial totals showed Kolodoski ahead, but on social media, Clinton attributed mail-in and provisional ballots for her 11th-hour victory.
The Fifth District Court of Appeals hears criminal and civil appellate cases out of Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Hunt and Grayson counties. Seven Republicans were elected to the 13-person court this November, ousting four incumbent justices and flipping what was nearly an all Democratic bench.
“I just learned that, with the final count of votes by mail and provisional ballots, I won my election,” Clinton wrote Nov. 15 on Facebook, before the results were made official. Clinton — who currently presides over a Dallas County criminal district court — did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Monday through her court coordinator.
The post continued: “I know my victory is bittersweet because we lost several outstanding Justices on the court. I pledge to serve tirelessly with honor and fairness.”
Clinton said on Facebook that Kolodoski congratulated and wished her luck; Kolodoski did not respond to an email seeking comment. Gov. Greg Abbott will appoint a judge to fill Clinton’s vacancy.
Another Dallas County judge and former commissioner, J.J. Koch, was elected the chief justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeals. Koch previously told The Dallas Morning News he intends to make clear that the conservative-majority court applies the law fairly.
The Fifth District is the busiest of the state’s 15 intermediate appeals courts. More than 1,600 cases were added to the court’s docket last fiscal year, according to data from the Office of Court Administration. For comparison, 722 and 1,147 cases were filed with the Austin and Houston-based appeals court, respectively.
Staff writer Philip Jankowski contributed to this report.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
