March 26, 2018
The Dallas County Republican Party on Monday failed in an attempt to have a judge removed from a case that could disqualify 82 Democratic Party candidates from the general election ballot. Kerrville's Stephen Ables, the administrative judge for the Sixth Judicial Region, said the GOP did not present evidence that state District Judge Eric Moyé was biased and could not properly preside over the controversial lawsuit. He made his ruling after hearing oral arguments from lawyers representing both parties. Several Democratic judicial candidates potentially impacted by the case hugged after the ruling. And state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said quietly that round one was over. The suit, brought by the Dallas County Republican Party, contends that the candidates are ineligible to be on the ballot because Carol Donovan, the chairperson of the Dallas County Democratic Party, didn't physically "sign" or certify the petitions that were ultimately accepted by the Texas secretary of state's office. At one point it sought to disqualify 127 Democratic Party candidates, but the March 6 primaries whittled the number down to 82.
Democrats and lawyers for those involved in the case have called the GOP suit a frivolous attempt to violate the voting rights of Dallas County citizens. Moyé could hear the case in the coming weeks. Moyé, a Democrat, is not up for re-election this year. Bingham said the GOP wasn't attacking Moyé's character, adding it was clear Democrats wanted him on the case because they believed he would act favorably on the 12 motions they filed to dismiss the lawsuit. But Randy Johnston, a lawyer for the Dallas County Democratic Party, said there was no evidence presented that Moyé would be biased. "I don't think there's any doubt about Judge Moyé's integrity," he said.
