David M. Medina
Encyclopedia
David Michael Medina is a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court
. He serves in the Place 4 position. He was elected to a full-term in 2006; his term will expire in January 2013, with elections during 2012.
All members of the court are Republicans
.
Medina was elected in 2006 without a Democratic
opponent. Unopposed for the Republican nomination, he handily defeated his Libertarian Party
challenger, Jerry Adkins, 2,558,036 (75.5 percent) to 830,780 (24.5 percent).
in Place 4 after Jefferson was appointed to be chief justice, following the retirement of Tom Phillips
. Governor Rick Perry
appointed Medina on November 10, 2004. Medina had been Perry's General Counsel since January 2004.
Before that, he was associate general counsel for Cooper Industries
in Houston from 2000–2004 and served on the 157th State District Court bench in Harris County
from 1996-2000 after appointment in May 1996 by then-Governor George W. Bush
. He was elected in November 1996 and again in November 1998. The Houston Bar Association
voted him as one of the top jurist
s in Harris County
.
Medina rejoined Cooper in 2000 as associate general counsel for litigation, responsible for supervising Cooper’s litigation and product-safety matters throughout the world. In January 2004, he left Cooper to become General Counsel to Governor Perry.
, attended public schools in Hitchcock
and graduated with a bachelor of science
degree from Texas State University at San Marcos
in 1980. In college he competed on the university’s karate
and baseball
teams and was on the Dean’s List. In 1989 he earned his Juris Doctor
degree from South Texas College of Law
in Houston. He was on the Dean’s List and a member of the American Bar Association
Regional Moot Court National Championship Team.
Medina is a former board member of Habitat for Humanity and Houston Metro. He currently serves on the board for the Spring Klein Baseball Association. He has also served as an adjunct professor for South Texas College of Law, where he taught advanced civil trial litigation.
by a Harris County grand jury
in connection with a fire at his home, but charges were eventually dropped as frivolous.
The indictment was dismissed by State District Court Judge Brian Rains, at the request of then Harris County District Attorney
Chuck Rosenthal
. The dismissal prompted the grand jury foreman, Robert Ryan, to publicly threaten to re-issue the charge, which some subsequent reports characterized as unusual given the grand juror's requirement of secrecy. Rosenthal, who thereafter resigned as district attorney, said that the evidence against the Medinas was insufficient to support the indictment. Medina had been charged with tampering with evidence, and Mrs. Medina with arson. The damages amounted to approximately $900,000.
Dick DeGuerin
, Mrs. Medina's attorney explained that his client did not start the fire and "didn't have anything to gain. That was their dream house."
Texas Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Texas is the court of last resort for non-criminal matters in the state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, is the court of last resort for criminal matters.The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices...
. He serves in the Place 4 position. He was elected to a full-term in 2006; his term will expire in January 2013, with elections during 2012.
All members of the court are Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Medina was elected in 2006 without a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent. Unopposed for the Republican nomination, he handily defeated his Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
challenger, Jerry Adkins, 2,558,036 (75.5 percent) to 830,780 (24.5 percent).
Appointment to the court and professional experience
Medina succeeded Wallace B. JeffersonWallace B. Jefferson
Wallace Bernard Jefferson is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. His current term ends on December 31, 2014.- Historic judicial appointments and election :Jefferson has three times made Texas judicial history...
in Place 4 after Jefferson was appointed to be chief justice, following the retirement of Tom Phillips
Tom Phillips
Thomas Phillips was an English painter.Thomas Phillips or Tom Phillips may also refer to:-Culture:* Sir Thomas Phillipps , British antiquary and book collector...
. Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
appointed Medina on November 10, 2004. Medina had been Perry's General Counsel since January 2004.
Before that, he was associate general counsel for Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries is a former US-based company that in 2009 switched its incorporation office from Bermuda to Ireland, maintaining its chief operational offices in Houston, Texas. It produces transformers, tools and electrical equipment, employing 29,000 staff around the world. Revenue in 2007 was...
in Houston from 2000–2004 and served on the 157th State District Court bench in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
from 1996-2000 after appointment in May 1996 by then-Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. He was elected in November 1996 and again in November 1998. The Houston Bar Association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
voted him as one of the top jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
s in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
.
Medina rejoined Cooper in 2000 as associate general counsel for litigation, responsible for supervising Cooper’s litigation and product-safety matters throughout the world. In January 2004, he left Cooper to become General Counsel to Governor Perry.
Background and education
Medina was born on Galveston IslandGalveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
, attended public schools in Hitchcock
Hitchcock, Texas
Hitchcock is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,386 at the 2000 census.-History:Hitchcock was created as a station of the railroad between Galveston and Houston in 1873 and around the turn of the 20th century became a vegetable shipping center...
and graduated with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Texas State University at San Marcos
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
in 1980. In college he competed on the university’s karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams and was on the Dean’s List. In 1989 he earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from South Texas College of Law
South Texas College of Law
South Texas College of Law is a private American Bar Association accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools...
in Houston. He was on the Dean’s List and a member of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
Regional Moot Court National Championship Team.
Medina is a former board member of Habitat for Humanity and Houston Metro. He currently serves on the board for the Spring Klein Baseball Association. He has also served as an adjunct professor for South Texas College of Law, where he taught advanced civil trial litigation.
Indictment dropped
Medina faced an indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
by a Harris County grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in connection with a fire at his home, but charges were eventually dropped as frivolous.
The indictment was dismissed by State District Court Judge Brian Rains, at the request of then Harris County District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Chuck Rosenthal
Chuck Rosenthal (district attorney)
Charles A. "Chuck" Rosenthal, Jr. is an American lawyer who was formerly the District Attorney of Harris County, Texas, United States.-Biography:...
. The dismissal prompted the grand jury foreman, Robert Ryan, to publicly threaten to re-issue the charge, which some subsequent reports characterized as unusual given the grand juror's requirement of secrecy. Rosenthal, who thereafter resigned as district attorney, said that the evidence against the Medinas was insufficient to support the indictment. Medina had been charged with tampering with evidence, and Mrs. Medina with arson. The damages amounted to approximately $900,000.
Dick DeGuerin
Dick DeGuerin
Dick DeGuerin is a criminal defense attorney based in Houston, Texas. DeGuerin was admitted to the State Bar in 1965...
, Mrs. Medina's attorney explained that his client did not start the fire and "didn't have anything to gain. That was their dream house."
Some notable opinions
- Irving Marks v. St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, August 28, 2009
- In re Morgan Stanley, July 3, 2009
- City of San Antonio v. Pollock, (dissenting opinion), May 1, 2009
- North Texas Pentecostal church Pleasant Glade Assembly of God vs. Laura Schubert, June 27, 2008