James Stanton appointed to 134th district bench

Gov. Rick Perry today appointed James M. Stanton (pictured), an associate with Cozen O’Connor in Dallas, to the 134th District Court bench in Dallas. He'll replace Anne Ashby, who is retiring. If confirmed by the Texas Senate, Stanton will serve out Ashby’s term, which is up in 2010. Stanton says he expects to take the bench in late April or early May. “I’m excited to get started and to serve,” Stanton says. Stanton was one of the GOP candidates who ran unsuccessfully for a district court bench in 2008; he lost to Democrat Ken Molberg for the 95th Court bench. That was just two years after Democrats swept the Dallas courthouse, winning more than 40 benches. But Stanton waged a good fight, posting cute, nonpartisan campaign ads on YouTube featuring little kids talking about “pol-y-ticks.” Stanton says he hasn’t even thought about his chances of surviving the 2010 general election. “I ran my campaign last time out of a desire to serve lawyers and their clients. And Gov. Perry has provided me the opportunity to do that in the 134th, ’’ Stanton says. Jonathan Neerman, chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, says, “He’s someone we can be proud of, and he’ll be good on the bench.” Does Neerman think Stanton can survive the 2010 general election? “With any countywide seat, I think it’s going to depend on the top of the ticket,” Neerman says. “He ran a strong campaign in November. And in the face of an Obama sweep, he ran a good campaign with integrity.”
-- John Council